Stay at Home or Work? Hmm..

Well, I have been a stay at home mom since I basically found out I was pregnant with Caylen. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom and be the one who takes care of all the home matters, like cleaning, paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. Caylen is now 14 months old, and she is a really great child and I have loved being able to stay at home with her, but it seems like now that she is older, she needs some more interaction with other children. She is in the church nursery every Sunday, and she loves it, but really that is the only interaction she has with other children. Where we live, there is no Gymboree or Kindermusik that she can go to, nor are there any organized 'mom' groups that we can go on organized playdates with. To add to this, I don't have many friends that live in Dahlonega that have children for her to play with even! I would usually be able to find friends at church or other activities, but we don't even spend much time in Dahlonega anyway. We technically live in Dahlonega, but we spend our social time in Blairsville, since that is where Brandon works and where our family lives. The only reason for us to go into Dahlonega is when I need to go to Walmart or some other store that is close by. So, it is sort of hard to technically live in one place, but spend all of our time in another place that's 45 minutes away!

So, to get to the main point of this entry, I have been thinking about getting a job. To add to the dilemma above, we have had a hard time getting health insurance after Brandon left the military-- he doesn't get it at work either. To get individual health insurance is very expensive for the premium, and then they don't even pay much when you actually do go to the Dr. So, we ended up paying out $250 a month, and then we either avoid going to the dr. at all costs, or we go and pay half the dr. bill, which less than our monthly premium! So, having a degree in teaching, which provides great state benefits including insurance, I have been thinking about going back to teaching.

On top of the health insurance issue, is of course the above stated problem of Caylen not getting enough social interaction. Caylen is very social, and she absolutely loves to be around other kids and to play in a group. I however don't have the financial ability to put her in daycare a few hours a week even. The dilemma is, however, to either stay at home with her all day, and while we would be able to maintain a spotless home and flexibility in my schedule, we are on a budget. There is nothing wrong with being on a budget of course, I think it is a good idea for everyone, but combine that with the issue of Caylen's lack of social interaction, our lack of insurance, and my lack of being able to pursue a career of my own, and it makes getting a job look pretty promising.

Of course there is the issue of me missing Caylen. It would be awfully hard to go from spending every hour of every day with her to a few hours a day and weekends, along with teacher holidays, with her. I know many parents have it worse, as in they work longer hours throughout the entire year, but knowing that it is a choice on my part to take on a full time job, there is a potential of having a huge amount of guilt. So, I am obviously very torn between a better, more comfortable income and Caylen getting more social interaction, and leaving her for 8 hours a day, and not being able to maintain our home as efficiently.

The reason I am thinking all of this through so much, and really just thinking 'out loud' on my blog is so I can hopefully problem solve my way through all this. I have a job interview in January and I am very excited about it, but I keep going back and forth in my head about which choice would be the best for my family. I just want to do what will be the healthiest for my family, and what would make us the happiest. I do not want to do this just for the money, but sometimes having more money can help a family out a lot and relieve some of the stress that financial burdens can bring. I have been praying about this constantly and just asking God that He will make happen what needs to happen. I only want to do what He wants me to do, and to follow the plan He has for our family. Please pray for us during this transition, as there is a potential for many changes and unknowns in our future.

All About My Caylen

So I haven't dedicated an entire post in a while to just Caylen so I figured I would. She hasn't gone through any major changes so I haven't felt the need to write about her, but I have realized that she really has changed a lot since I wrote about her last. So, She now has 5 teeth, and that means that she has had all of them come in within a matter of about 2 months. She hasn't really had too hard of a time, considering she is just constantly getting them in. She now has two on the bottom, in the middle, and three on the top, the two middle and one to her left side. They have came in sort of out of what I would consider 'order' or how they are expected to come in. She got the two in the bottom first, which is normal, but then she got one on the top middle, and then the other top middle and the one to her left at the same time. She looks like she is going to get the top right one in soon now because she has a lump there that she won't let me touch; er, if I touch it I get bitten..... haha Oh and speaking of biting, she loves to give me 'love bites' and I love it! Sometimes they hurt, but most of the time they just tickle and we both get to laughing really hard!
She is really such a good baby, almost toddler; I am really blessed to have such a good little girl. She was not such an easy newborn and younger infant however, and because of that I get queasy at the thought of having another one, on top of having her! I have heard a lot of people say that their babies were easy but once they hit the 1 year mark, they threw fits and tantrums and were less easy going. She is just the opposite though! Since she has hit a year, she has been so easy going and wonderful-- just a joy! She goes to sleep for naps and at night with me just holding her and talking to her. Sometimes she just wants me to put her down in her crib and pat her back and sing to her! I never even dreamed that a baby would go to sleep that easy at all! I mean, when you're pregnant you wish for such things but you never really think it will really happen. Especially to the baby that screamed like a wild animal when being put down in her crib to sleep! I was afraid that she would be a very clingy and high maintenance child like she was when she was a younger infant, but she really has become quite independent! She likes to have her own play time to herself and she will just entertain herself for quite a while! I am so lucky to have such a beautiful, wonderful little girl-- I just had to brag on her!

New Washer, Dryer, and Highchair!

So we got our new washer and dryer in today, finally; they delayed the delivery a few days so my laundry was piled up pretty high! I just finished my first load in them and they work unbelievably well! Some of Caylen's clothes that our old washer couldn't get the stains out of in 3 washes, this one did it in one!! I am so incredibly pleased I can't describe it! I thought I was going to have to throw away some of her shirts that she had soiled... But now they are good as new! When the guy came to install them for us my jaw was dropped just looking at them, they are so pretty and so fancy! I couldn't fathom that a washer and dryer could even be that high tech! It is digital and it has these beeping sounds when you choose the cycle and it has a little chime when the cycle is done. I am so grateful that I am able to have such nice things; I had no idea I would ever be able to have such a nice appliance. So I would, not surprisingly, give them both a 5 star rating!

The highchair of Caylen's is really good too. We have had it about a week and we still love it. She is almost too big for the tray, but we figured that she might be. We aren't too worried about her not getting enough use out of it either because we will definitely be using it with the next one!

I Know, It's Been Forever.....

So I know it has been a long time since I blogged last and it's not like I haven't thought about it, but there really hasn't been anything worth writing about. Or, we have been too busy to write about it. So I guess I will write about the newest exciting thing that has happened. We got Caylen a new highchair, or booster actually, for "Christmas" and we got it in yesterday. We decided to put it up and use it anyway since she won't know the difference and we kinda need it, since our dining room is fairly small and we wanted something that could grow with her. It is a Fisher Price Space Saver highchair, eh booster, and it is so far really great! It is easier to clean and it takes up much less space. We are keeping our old one, though, because you never know, we might need it one day when we have more kiddos!

Another thing to be excited about is my "Christmas," and probably birthday too, present(s)! So here's the story: our washer has been doing okay, I mean for a 20 year old refurbished model, but once we moved here, the movers dropped it and we decided not to claim it because it would have come out of the driver's pocket, and it wasn't his fault, and he was really nice, and he has a little girl about Caylen's age as well. It's not like it was worth much in the first place. We bought it almost 5 years ago for about $100. It has served us well, but like I said, after the movers dropped it, it hasn't been the same, and it has been getting worse. If Caylen gets a stain on her clothes, I might as well throw it out with the trash because it is not coming out in this machine! When I wash our clothes it looks like I have just run it through the faucet and dried it! So.... obviously I am getting a new washer and dryer! It is an LG 2101 washer and matching dryer. I am so excited! Our dryer has been ok, except for Brandon leaving gum and pens in his pocket and making a huge mess in the drum.... It is just a basic dryer but we are going to hold on to it anyway in case someone we know needs it. I can't wait to use them after they are delivered on Saturday! Yay!

Weaning!

So, I know I just said like 2 posts ago that I didn't think weaning was in our near future, but it has actually happened! This past Friday I felt that we were ready to wean. I was really planning, and hoping, to make it to the 15-18 month window of weaning, but I have been noticing lately that Caylen has been showing signs of being ready to wean. And, her having 3 teeth can be very painful since she only nursed for comfort for the past month or two. For instance, if she decided she was done, she would just chomp down and yeah, like I know that is a way of communicating to me you are done, but I am definitely not a fan of it! So, on Friday I decided to wean her and since we only do 2-3 feedings a day, just for sleeping purposes, I just decided to drop it all at once. (And for those who are wondering, particularly my fellow nursing friends, I had no engorgement!)I knew that when the time was right to wean for us, I would just know it was time, and it would go smoothly. Well, it has! When I just get a hunch that it is the right time to do something, and when I act on that feeling, it almost always turns out well. It is much like the time I decided that Caylen was going to sleep in her room in her crib. I just woke up one morning, literally, and decided I was going to dismantle the crib so I could move it 10 feet into the next room. I just knew it was time for her to sleep in her own bed, in her own room. For those who don't know, I love personality typing and I am an INTJ, and the "N" is for intuitive, which is the only way I can explain these 'hunches' I get.

Well, she has done so great with it and I am so proud of her! She is actually going to sleep better and is less fussy. Who woulda thunk it? I can't explain why, but for some reason she is a much less fussy baby! This was a huge part of my and Caylen's life, and to see it ending is kinda sad, but to know that my little girl is getting independent and growing up makes me very proud!

Caylen Has Started Taking Naps Again YAY!

So I am dedicating this post to Caylen and her naps. To start off, she has always been a very clingy baby, and from the time we brought her home from the hospital she has not wanted to be put in a crib or bassinet to sleep. Now, I like that she is a very loving baby and all, and I was apparently a clingy baby myself, but sometimes a person needs a little personal space! Caylen slept with me until she was 7 months old, and during that time she never ever slept in her crib. Not for a nap, not for bedtime. It is not like I didn't try though, she just refused to let me put her down. I just went along with her needs and that is still how I do things, pretty much anyway, and I feel like she will let me know when she is ready to move to the next step. Well, at 7 months Caylen started not sleeping well in our 'family bed.' That meant I didn't sleep well, or at all, either. So, I decided it was time for her to sleep by herself. After going through many stages of 'sidecar-ing' the crib to keeping the crib in our room to finally moving the crib to her room, she started sleeping in her crib, as well as drastically reducing the night-wakings for all. So, to make a long story short, we eventually got Caylen to sleep, as well as take naps, in her crib. Not without lots and lots of effort and of course, trial and error....

So, back in Texas I was very happy with Caylen's sleeping schedule. She woke up at 6, took a 1.5-2 hour nap at 8, during which I would shower and relax, then a shorter nap at 2 and bed at 7:30. However, this all changed when we moved back to GA. She took naps in her crib for a week after we got here and then came the nap strike! I would get her to sleep as usual and then when it came to putting her in her crib, she would wake up and squeal like I was trying to lower her into a vat of boiling water! This was of course very frustrating, but I eventually just surrendered my will and let her nap on me while I 'wasted' 2 hours of the day letting her nurse and nap as needed, and take a shower while singing and trying to keep Caylen occupied and out of trouble in the bathroom.

Now, with all of the background info out of the way, I will get to the current info. On our Disney trip our schedule was completely torn to pieces. However, this was great because it gave me a different perspective on how I might solve the nap problem. Well, to make a long story short again, a lightbulb came on and I got the idea to nurse her while laying down on a pallet on the floor, and then sneak away in order to get her to nap by herself. I got this idea because Caylen initially started taking naps by herself in this fashion, but on my bed surrounded by many pillows since she was not mobile yet. So, I tried it once we got back from vacation and it didn't work the first couple of times, but she was sick. I kept trying though and yesterday she slept for an hour in the morning, and today she slept for an hour and a half! So, this is success in my book and I just had to share :)

3 Teeth, Disney World, and a Birthday Later....

So we just got back last night, on Caylen's birthday, from our trip to Disney world with the whole family! Oh, and also a quick trip to Kentucky as well. Disney World was really fun and we all had a really good time. Caylen did pretty well for a baby her age and she enjoyed a lot of it. She really loved being around Ava all the time though!! We spent 4 days at Disney and got to visit all the parks. Those 4 days were long, but we had a lot of fun so it didn't seem that bad. I am just glad I am still nursing because that was the only thing that could keep Caylen satisfied much of the time. And, it was good that I knew she was getting enough fluids in the hot 90 degree weather! Honestly while I am on the nursing subject, I really don't see an end in sight yet. It is the only way I can get her to sleep so I really don't know when I can wean..... I have been enjoying being able to eat all I want though and still lose weight much of the time.

So, today is Caylen's birthday party yay! We are having a few people over and it should be a lot of fun! Caylen did get a stuffy nose though last night and today it has been running. Yesterday was her birthday and she already has the snotty toddler nose! I have been chasing her with a handkerchief all morning and she sure does hate for me to wipe her nose! It's like playing pin the handkerchief on the baby nose! Hopefully she will be feeling better by the time her guests arrive, though. She is sleeping now so I am hoping she can kinda 'sleep it off' before her party.

Now for the teeth. She has 3 teeth now! Her first one came in on the left and front bottom, then her second on the top and right, then the 3rd on the bottom right! She got 2 of them while we were at Disney and really she did quite well. I barely had to give her Tylenol at all! I think we were all just so busy that none of us had time to think about her getting teeth or not! Before we know it, she'll have a whole mouth full!

Finally, a Tooth!?

So Caylen has been feeling crummy for the last week or so and she seemed to get better but then yesterday she started running a fever so I, of course, was scared that she was getting sick again. The past couple of days she has wanted to nurse all the time so I knew she didn't feel well, but today she was nursing and she bit me three times! And, it hurt more than normal! She kept giving me this look like, "What? Why are you shrieking like that?" which is not normal because normally when she bites me she is just tired and she never does it over and over again. Well, I reached into her mouth to see what was the problem and TADA there was a little tooth poking through! You can't see it yet, but it feels like a little pin sticking out of her gums (very sharp). It seems like she has been teething forever and we have been able to see these 2 teeth here on the bottom for months! Just last night I was thinking about how cute her little gummy baby smile was, and I thought to myself "the one time I think I am going to miss her toothless smile..... she'll probably cut a tooth tomorrow.....!"......And here it comes! When it comes in fully, I will make sure to get some pics!

H1N1-- Such Fun!

So, this week Caylen came down with something and got pretty sick and we took her to the walk-in clinic. They couldn't really tell what it was, but they told us to keep her on Tylenol and Motrin. She was running a fever as high as 104 at one point, and they still told us that it could possibly just be teething! I knew that it had to be more than that but I had no clue how bad she felt until I got sick as well! It is definitely the flu, and they say anyone with flu symptoms this early has the 'swine flu.' Of course this scared the crap out of me since Caylen is still so little, but she nursed constantly for 2 days straight and she seemed to be feeling a lot better on the 3rd day. I am currently on my second day, and they say that the worst part lasts about 48 hours, so I am hoping I will feel much better tomorrow. My only worry is that mine will develop, or already has developed, into bronchitis because I always seem to get bronchitis when I get sick. I hope Caylen continues to get better and doesn't have a relapse or anything, and I hope she doesn't get the cough like I have had. I have been itching to wean here lately but this had made me very thankful that even when she refused to eat or drink anything, she always wanted to nurse. Sure, it is not near the caloric density that she needs, but it is so much better than her not eating or drinking at all! I am trying to stay away from Brandon so he doesn't get it but honestly the outlook is pretty grim....

So, I didn't get the job I interviewed for, but I am actually pretty happy. It was a really good job and all but I wasn't anywhere near ready to take Caylen to daycare 5 days a week, even if it is just a half-day. It was also pretty far for us and I would have to leave our house with Caylen at 6 AM! I just don't see how it would have worked anyway so I prayed about it a lot and I think it all turned out the way it should! I will be working at the Funeral Home a couple of days a week though now, but I can take Caylen with me so it is much better. I also like that I would be helping out in the family business-- I really like the fact that Brandon and I could both be in the family business together. God always has a plan that is better than our own-- it took me a while to figure that out! I might get back into teaching sometime in the future, but as of now we are not ready yet.

Well, I hope the Burkhead family gets to feeling better soon; I am going to go through and disinfect everything after this is all through!

We Have a Crawler!

Yep, so Caylen is officially a full-time crawler by now! She started crawling back in Texas, as referenced before, but now she is crawling everywhere! And, her teeth seem to be cutting any day now. She has started babbling a lot, and sometimes it sounds like she is speaking her own language! Her favorite word is "dada" or "adda" and she also says a few more 'word approximations' like "no," "uh-uh," "kee" for cat, and she did call my mom's dog "do" the other day a couple of times, but I am not positive that is what she meant. She has been sleeping through the night, too, for the last few weeks, and I am so glad! She refuses to take naps in her crib though, now, but I can handle that better than lack of sleep. She has discovered the stairs at my mom and dad's house and she has started to try and climb them! She is starting to use some of her signs, too, even though her receptive sign language vocabulary has been built up for some time. Example, I sign "drink" and she knows to get her cup but she has yet to sign "drink" herself. She is just growing up so fast; I am so proud of her! I love to watch her grow and change almost every day!

Well, as for the rest of the family, Brandon is still loving his new job and I am very glad of that! I have a job interview tomorrow, Monday, with a school system for a half-time SPED position. I am nervous-- I haven't done an interview in a while and I haven't been an actual teacher for a while longer! I think it is a great position though and I hope I get it, but if I don't, it is okay because it really breaks my heart to think about putting Caylen in daycare, even if it is just part-time. Well, there's no use in worrying about the interview, it is all in God's hands, and it will inevitably work out the way it should as long as I hold up my end.

Well, there really is more to say but that is all I can think of tonight so that is it until next time! Perhaps I will have a new addition to the blog tomorrow??

Back in GA at Last!

Well, we are finally settled in! We have actually been 'settled' since Wednesday of last week, but we just now got internet! I can't believe that we made it this long without internet, to be honest. So, our household goods came here to Dahlonega on the 31st. We also did our walk-through on that day as well. The movers were done by early afternoon that day so we had the rest of the day to unpack, and then we unpacked Tuesday and Wednesday everything was put away! We were lacking a few things so we went to Target for them and bought Brandon some work clothes as well while we were out. Brandon started his first day on Monday and he absolutely loves it! Never in the 4.25 years we have been married, exact to the day actually, have I ever seen him come home from work with a smile and want to talk about how his day was! I am so happy for him, and we are all so happy to be back with everyone. I, however have been so so so SOO incredibly busy I think the top of my head might spin off just any minute! There is so much to do, really, and it seems like the minute we got here there was a never ending list of to-do's.

Caylen is almost 11 months already! Whew, it has all gone by so fast! This means she is having a birthday coming up soon and I feel so unprepared. I know I have not put up many recent pictures, but I have just finished putting up a few on facebook that are a mixture of Caylen at 10 months old. She has changed so much this month! And, we have been so busy too! Those pictures can be viewed here, by the way.

So, next month, right before Caylen's birthday, we are all going to Disney World! Yay! I always thought Caylen would be older for her first trip, but I know she will have fun anyway. We are going with mom and dad, and Anna and Ava (aka Caylen's favorite little girl :-] ). Well, that is about it for this post; Caylen is taking a nap, oh glorious nap, for the first day in 5 days so I am going to take this time to breathe deeply......

We Made it to GA!

So we are finally here, back in GA. We were very happy to leave Killeen and to finally be getting back home. The only word I knew to describe how we felt was exhaustion. Pure exhaustion. Our stuff was packed up on Monday, then it was moved out on Tuesday. Wednesday we used to clean the entire house from top to bottom, get the pest control people to come, and have the carpet professionally cleaned. I accidentally threw away my keys to the duplex, yeah stupid I know, and Brandon had to dig through the trash to find them and threw up whilst looking for them! Poor thing.... We did survive the week though which is all that counts, and I will tell you the truth, there were times that I was not so sure we would survive!
So on Thursday, the day we had planned to start our journey, we waited for 2 hours for Longhorn Properties to come and do a walk through and the finally came and so we didn't get to leave until 1 PM. We had planned to leave before 11 so this threw the proverbial 'wrench' into our plans. We ended up staying Thursday night in Shreveport, which is not very far just maybe 6 hours, but we got to hang out with Allison and Daniel so it was really nice to see them. We didn't know if we would be able to make it home by Friday or not, but Brandon did really well driving and we made pretty good time. We ended up making it back to Blairsville by 8:30 Central time last night. Caylen was very good on the trip for the most part; she was fussy Friday because she was off her nap schedule but she still did pretty well. The cats did pretty well, too except for the first couple hours of driving. They had to sit and wait for us to finish the walk through so they were really tired of being in the crates by the time we left. Sox especially was freaking out-- she was foaming at the mouth and drooling and vomiting! She is okay though, of course, she just gets stressed easily. Well, we will be in Blairsville until Monday morning when we do the walk through with our renters and then transportation is bringing our household goods between 8 and 10. So, we have a couple of days to relax before we have to start getting everything unpacked! Whew!

Creeping, Almost Crawling! And a Creepy Crawly.....

Well, since the last post, Caylen can not only clap, wave, and say dada, but she is finally creeping and can crawl a few steps too! She is finally getting mobile, thankfully, but she just had to do it in her own time I guess! Still no teeth, however, she has been acting like she has been having teething pain. A lot. She is pretty much sleeping throughout the night now though, except for a couple of early wakings due to what seems like teething. She will go to bed at 7:30 and get up at 5 am for a feeding, then go to sleep 'til a little after 6. She is definitely an early riser! She has been taking much better naps though! She naps for at least an hour, generally, and her morning nap is great for me to shower and relax! So, I am finding out that it actually does get at least somewhat easier as they get older!
As for the adults in the household, we are getting ready to move! Not quite as fun as it sounds, but we are excited about being in Georgia once again. So, I have been a cleaning and organizing maniac! We also have to get rid of a lot of stuff so we can fit into a 2 bedroom house once again, but this time with a baby as well.
We had an interesting incident happen the other day too. I figured it was worth mentioning on here since it was so peculiar. I was walking by the kitchen the other day and I saw what looked like a banana peel string underneath the chair. I went to pick it up and thought it was actually a stick, but upon inspection concluded it was a lizard tail! Yuck. Well, Brandon somehow convinced me that the lizard must have ran back outside so I didn't worry too much. Well, the next morning I saw the cat hovering over something by the door and it was the LIZARD! It was big, too! The thing was about the size of a small mouse and when I called Brandon to tell him, he convinced me to throw a towel over it and toss it outside. GROSS! But, I did and it ended up dying not long after that in our yard. I guess the cat is good for something after all! ;)

The First Post

So.... I guess I have a lot to say, considering that this is my first post on the blog, but I will just hit the high notes. I decided to create a blog for our family so we can keep everyone, family and friends (whether on facebook or not) updated with our family happenings and pictures. This week I have been in Blairsville visiting my family, in hopes of retaining my sanity that has been threatened while in Texas. I got a good deal on plane tickets and I am glad that I came now because if I had waited much longer, we would already be moving out here! Yes, we will be coming back to GA much earlier than planned because of Brandon declining orders to Ft. Campbell, and thus being eligible for an early seperation. We are very happy about this, of course, since we have been wanting to go back to GA ever since we got to Texas.
Since I have been here in Blairsville, Caylen has decided to do a lot of new things! She started with babbling repetitive consonant sounds ("mamama, dadada, gagaga" etc.) and then she started waving! The waving went to clapping hands (!) and now she is (finally) starting to try to crawl. She has been trying for a while but just gets too frustrated and didn't seem to have enough core strength. She did push herself around today though with her legs while on her belly so that is a great start! She also seems to be teething, but who knows if it will actually end up in teeth this time??? She also plays peekaboo-- she takes her shirt or a blanket and puts it over her face.... very cute
So, our lease/purchasers decided not to buy the house in Dahlonega, long story but oh well, so we will be moving into that house when we move back in September. It is small for us, 2 bedroom, but if we get rid of some stuff and squeeze in real tight, I think we can make it work. I absolutely love that house so it won't be hard to move back there, and I love Dahlonega so I think it will be good overall. Plus, we can go to Gold Rush around Caylen's birthday and enjoy the beautiful fall weather on our covered redwood porch. I can just imagine having a nice hot cup of tea in the morning (yeah still no caffeine for me) on that porch, or sitting out on it, watching the sun set. We have so many things we want to do to that house to further improve upon it, and we can't wait to begin our lives post-military!