To Aunt Faith Love Charlotte

To build or not to build

I am getting so sick of saying that things have been crazy but that is the only word that makes any sense. My dad is out of the hospital and we are trying to convince him to move in here but it is becoming a hard sell. We had a contractor come and give us an estimate of adding onto our house. It was a lot more then we had expected it would be. We would have to sell his house and even then it would just barely cover the cost. I don't understand how adding onto a house can cost just as much as the house itself. It is cray. So for now I am driving back and forth to his house three times a day and he is becoming more and more demanding. It is almost like he has become the kid and I am now the adult. It is starting to wear me down, but what else can I do.

DOWn WiTh THe SiCKnesS

Charlotte' dress from Uncle Charlie amd Aunt Karyn...... She looked really cute

I want to go to Aunt FAith's!!!

THe very cute bag that Aunt Faith bought for Charlotte's birthday

She is all girl! She loves carrying her bags around. she loves baby dolls. She has a cute knitted poncho that she has to wear every chance she gets.

Life has been pretty crazy around here, but I guess that shouldn't be a surprise anymore. My dad has been in and out of the hospital and is now currently "In" the hospital. He has had two surgeries in less then a month and he has become so weak that he couldn't stay home by himself. I had to go my Aunt Shirley's funeral last Tuesday and when I came back after the wake to check on him I found him on the floor. He had fallen and couldn't get him self back up. It was a total life alert moment. This is why they make those things. He really should have one. I got him up and back to bed and told him if he had to get up that he needed to call me. I got up early to go over and check on him and this time I found him in the bathroom on the floor. I called the doctor and Jim helped me get him to the car. We took him back to the hospital and they finally admitted him again. He will now be coming home on Tuesday with a life alert button. They have also set up meals on wheels for him and a home health nurse will be coming in 3 times a week. The big news is we finally decided to have him move in with Jim and me. We are going to build three rooms onto our house for him. He will have a living room, bathroom, and bedroom. We have the contractor coming this week to look at our house and see what he can do and how it will cost. We will be selling his house. I Have been trying to get him to agree to this for over a year, but now he realizes that he really needs to do it. He just can't stay by himself anymore. If he doesn't do this he will probably end up in a nursing home the next time so he wants to do it before that happens. We are also going to be adding a extra bedroom onto the other side of the house too, and the whole back part of the house will be moved out ten feet. I will finally have a bigger kitchen. We will be using the money we get from his house to pay for all of this but it is still going to be a lot of work, but when it is done I will feel so much better that my dad is right here with us and I will be able to take care of him.

Now onto the good news. Jim and I got our first night alone since Charlotte was born. Our friends Laurie and Herbie came Friday morning and took Charlotte to their Son's (B.J.) basketball tournament in Fon du lac. They spent the night up there so we had a whole day and a half to ourselves. I was pretty freaked most of the time, only because it was the first time I have ever let anyone take her over night. From what Laurie told us Charlotte had a really good time. I was glad she had fun. Jim and I really didn't do much. It was nice to just be home and have quiet. It was so weird, less then two years ago we couldn't imagine having a baby and now we don't know what to do with out her. Charlotte needs to get out and interact with other kids her age so it was a great experience for her. I can't wait until summer when we will be able to go to the park and she will be able to play with other kids. Needless to say I got to sleep in on Saturday morning. (8am:0) The bad news in all of this is just before Charlotte left she had a bit of a cold but it wasn't anything horrible. Laurie didn't have any problems with her being sick while she was gone, but when she got back all hell broke loose. It started last night about an hour after she went to bed. She woke up screaming and I could get her to settle down. I finally got her back to sleep and then every hour after that she was awake. I finally brought her into bed with me and Jim and she slept for about an hour and a half. Then when daylight came so did the vomit. She couldn't keep anything in her stomach, not even water. I cleaned the floors with the shampooer about four times, I did three loads of laundry, gave Charlotte three baths, and changed both her clothing as well as mine about four times. She finally fell asleep in my arms around noon and slept for a good hour. Now this evening she has been able to keep some Cheerios down and a bottle of water and formula. She has gone to sleep for the night and she has been asleep for about an hour so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the worst is over, and she will sleep through the night. We both need a good nights sleep.

SOME LIKE IT WARMER THEN BELOW ZERO

Today we are having a heat wave here in the great state of Wisconsin. It going to be 49 degrees which by most standards is still really cold but here in Wisconsin you will some crazy person with shorts on. I guarantee it. It is going to be really nice to be outside and not have your nostrils freeze shut. It is funny how in the fall when it is 49 degrees out we feel like we are freezing but in the middle of winter when it hits 49 we feel like it is a tropical heat wave. At any rate it will be nice to get outside and enjoy the warmth for a few days and then reality will hit again and we will all realize that it is still the middle of February. So enjoy it while it lasts!

Last night we made homemade pretzels. I was sure this was going to be a very difficult undertaking. I was wrong. It was the easiest thing to make ever. It was fun and they were really good. I think I will make them the next time we have lasagna instead of garlic bread or bread sticks. If you have always wanted to make homemade pretzels give it a try it is a lot easier then you would think.

Jim and I went out by ourselves for the first time since Charlotte was born. It was nice but we both missed having Charlotte with us and we really didn't know what to do once we were done eating. We didn't want to go see a movie so we just went and rented a movie from the movie store and then we went and picked Charlotte back up. Monya asked why we were back so soon. We told her we didn't know what to do with ourselves. It was just to much to ask us to do since it was pretty much the first time. Better luck next time.

Did you know??

OK I posted this on facebook but I thought I would post it on here too. 25 random facts, goals,wishes, etc, about myself. It was actually kind of hard to think of 25 random things. So now I want everyone to do the same. Leave me a comment with 12 random things about yourself. 1. I wish I wore glasses 2.contrary to popular belief I am a very good cook! I love to cook. 3. I love to draw and I am good at it. I started going to school for commercial art but life got in the way, and I didn't get very far. I wish I would have stuck it out, 4. I like that I have grey hair 5. I am more comfortable with my body now then I have ever been. I want to lose weight, but my will power is very weak, and since I have had Charlotte I am happy in my own skin. 6. I wish I lived in Washington State 7. I hate talking on the phone 8. I have wanted to be pregnant since Charlotte was born. I enjoyed being pregnant, but hated everything that came with it. I will not be getting pregnant anytime soon though so don't ask! 9. I judge public bathrooms by the smell of their soap, no matter how clean they are if they have crappy soap then they are crappy! 10. I am a very organized person. I didn't say my house was spotless, just organized! 11. I want to take classes for both Photography and cake decorating. I had so much fun doing Charlotte's cake I want to get better at it. I love photography and I now a lot about different aspects but I want to get better, and be able to put it all together so I can take great pictures of Charlotte. 12.I love my car. I will never by anything but a Volkswagen ever again! Go ahead and laugh!! 13. I absolutely hate doing laundry. give me any other household chore but that! 14. I didn't want a big wedding, I wanted to elope (St. Lucia was my choice) but Jim wanted a big wedding. Guess who won! 15. I love staying up late, it is my alone time and I also like being alone 16. I hate people who are not polite and people who do not know how to use good grammar! It drives me crazy! 17. I went to Florida and never went to Disneyland:( 18. I am pretty sure Mint Ice cream was the best invention ever. 19. My favorite holiday is Halloween, but I always look forward to St. Patricks day because it is the only time you can get corn beef and cabbage 20. I have to have socks on all the time. I hate being barefoot. even during labor I kept my socks on:) 21.I didn't think I would like being a mom. I was so wrong. 22.I love the fact that Jim still holds my hand when we are in the car. 23.I wear my watch on my right hand even though I am right handed. 24.I want to spend a month in Hawaii, I would like to rent a house on the beach. really I would rather just buy a beach house in Hawaii nu I am pretty sure that 25. I didn't want to go out with Jim when we first met. I am glad I did it anyway. He has turned out to be the best man for the job:) OK and now the thing I love the most! The way Charlotte smells. I am sure it is because I am her mother, but I love the way she smells. It is a little weird but she has a wonder sweet smell to her. Since the moment she was born I have loved putting nose in her hair and just being close to her.

What's up Doc???

Charlotte's year old well baby check was on Thursday and sadly I found out she is a year old!! OK just kidding I found out more then that. She is now 21lbs 8oz and 29.8 inches long. She has hit all of her milestones and the doctor said she is doing great. I don't want to be one of those mom's who thinks her kid is a genius and no other baby could be as smart as my kid type of person so what I am about to say is just what the doctor said and it is not me bragging. I thought it was completely normal until she said something. Charlotte is very quick when it comes to learning new words and the doctor said she knows a lot more words then most 12 month old babies. OK there I said it. She picks up on words very easily. She knows Mama, Dada, hi, bye bye, cat, puppy, ba ba (for bottle), eyes, horse, uh oh, bear, there are a few more but I have just hit a blank in my memory. So she is doing really good when it comes to talking. Now on to the shots. as most people know I put Charlotte on my own vaccination schedule. I do believe that vaccinations are very important and they prevent a lot of illness. The problem I have with them is that the CDC and FDA do not do the sort of tests on these vaccinations that I think need to be done. I am perfectly aware that there is no known connection between Autism and vaccinations but at the same time they can not say there isn't some sort of connection. The number of recommended vaccinations for baby and children has climbed along with the rate of children who develop Autism. So it is very scary for me, especially because I have two family members with the condition. So the schedule called for Charlotte to get six vaccinations in four shots. There were two that I had decided that she would defiantly not get (Chicken Pox & Hep A) The chicken pox's one will will not get at all and the hep A she will get before she starts school. The other two pneumococcal and the MMR (measles mumps and rubella). She received the pneumococcal, but the MMR she did not. I have been dreading the MMR shot since she was born. This is the shot that has so much controversy surrounding it. So I did my research and I decided that I would give Charlotte the MMR shot but I want the shots separately and spread out over six months. Well guess what? They no longer make the individual shots. So what is a worried mother to do? I could not give her the MMR shot. I just couldn't do it. So I came home and did a little Internet surfing and went back and read a few different chapters and I have decided to wait until she 2 1/2. I will then give her the MMR shot. This way her brain has time to develop and she will then be covered for the diseases. The doctor said that the individual shots may become available again in the near future and if that happens then she will get them sooner. It is just so scary. 1-150 babies now develop Autism and on top of that we have the condition in our family. I will be very glad once this is over and she has all the shots she needs.

Charlotte's Party Recap

Mom prepared to clean up the very messy CHARLOTTE Laurie, Nickolas, and Charlotte Charlotte on her new 4 wheeler. We had beer and baby bottles the perfect baby party:) I am 1!!!!! & a mess!!

OK so I have been out of touch for the last week and everyone wants to know "How was Charlotte's Birthday?" So here goes. Charlotte is now a year old and this last year has went so fast. I have always heard everyone say that kids grows so fast, but until now it didn't make sense. It really seems like yesterday I was in the hospital giving birth to her and now she is walking, talking, little goof head. She is such a wonderful little person, and I can't really believe that I get to keep her. So now onto the party. It was a pretty crazy couple of days. My dad had surgery two days before so I asked Monya to come and help me with the decorating and cooking. The night before I made her cakes. I was so worried that the cakes wouldn't turn out. I am good at baking but I had never attempted decorating a cake. SO as you can see by the pictures the cakes turned out perfect. I was so happy. We had a really good time. Charlotte was a little overwhelmed by all the people, but thanks to Monya, I was able to do what I needed to do and she took Charlotte. It just goes to show how much Charlotte loves both Dave and Monya. When Charlotte finally warmed up to the crowd she had a really good time. The guest list included----- Jim's mom, sister(Mindi), brother(Duane), My brother Pete and his wife Vicki, My nieces Kirstie and Kendra, our neighbors Steve and his daughter Kim, Our good friends, Laurie, Herbie, and their son B.J., Of course the famous Granny Jo A.K.A. (Corky), her granddaughter Amanda, Our friend Devin, and her adorable little boy Nickolas. I think that was it but I am sure I forgot someone. Anyway Charlotte got a ton of gifts. I am not going to name everything because it would give me carpal tunnel. Lets just say the kid will have plenty of stuff to keep her busy. She had a really good day.

Since Charlotte's party things have just been crazy around here. My dad has been sick. He ended up in the ER again, and now his second surgery has been postponed. So I have had to take care of him, and that is not an easy task. He is so stubborn about everything. In between there I was sick for 3 days, and the thing that surprises most people is on top of all of that I sold my business. Yes, you read that right. I sold my store. About three weeks ago a lady got in contact with me and asked if I would be interested in sell my store. Things had started to get rough for us and money was becoming increasingly tight. I was starting to worry that we wouldn't be able to make ends meet and that I would end up having to close the store anyway, so I talk with Jim and we both decided that this would be a huge weight off our shoulders. I was really sad to give up everything that I had worked so hard to put together, but at the same time I was so relieved to not have to worry about how I was going to pay the rent for the store. It was a horrible time to open a business but I wanted to stay home with Charlotte soooooooo bad, that I thought I could make it work. It is really crazy now that I think about it. I opened the store when Charlotte was less then three months old. I put so much work into it. I was breastfeeding and tagging clothes at the same time. I know that is a bad visual imagine but it was true. The lady I sold the store to was complaining about how much work she had to do before she opened the store again. I seriously wanted to look her right in the eye and slap her across the face. The store is pretty much put together except for a few of the racks of clothing that we had started to take home. So she had to re-hang the stuff, and she had a bit of cleaning to do. Other then that the store is ready for business. She really has no idea how easy she has it. It really pissed me off now that I really think about it. I had to paint the store, wax the floors, put up the rack, sort all the clothes into sizes and gender, put all the clothes on hangers, tag every single piece of clothing, put up the shelves, and counters, get the sign for the outside of the store, move the furniture, I could go on and on but I am not going to because it just makes me realize how mad it makes me that she takes it granted. Don't get me wrong I am glad she is doing it and I am glad she came to me when I needed to get out, but it is just the fact that she doesn't have a clue how easy she has it. She got one hell of a deal. I basically sold everything for what I owed. I didn't make anything by selling it. I gave her the rights to the name and everything in the store. All I can say is she got one hell of a deal. OK enough about that, it is done and I am glad! Sort of.......

I am hoping to get back to my project of copying, scanning, and transferring the pictures, slides, and movies. I now have the correct software for my computer so now I will be able to get them done. I am also going to return to Poynette to finish up making copies of the Allen book. I now have most of the pictures scanned and copied, so if there is anyone that would like copies of the disc please let me know. I am going to go full steam until I get them done. I really want to start working on my own copy of the Allen book, but I have to get this other stuff done first. I have a lot of stuff to give to Faith, my Uncle Bob, and Dennis Kluge, so if any of you are reading this I have not forgotten about you! I promise. I will get everything to all of you very soon.

Well I think that should cover it. Just another day in the life of Jonette Ferguson. I guess it is better then having a boring existence. Hopefully things will start to settle down now. YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!!