It's been so long!!!

I have been SOOOOOOOOOO busy and so sorry I have neglected my blog. So here I am for an update!

Cate - Is now 6 months old and looking like Kirsten's twin as a baby! You seriously can't tell the difference between their baby pictures at this stage. She is so beautiful and a happy baby. Totally has my personality too already. She is going through separation anxiety already! We are having some health problems with her though. The drs think she has a condition called tracheamalacia. Basically they think that her trachea is soft instead of rigid. When she breathes it collapses on itself cutting off her airway. In addition, she has reflux, huge adenoids, and asthma. They are all intermingled. We are currently seeing an ENT. She was seeing an allergy specialist, but he has now referred us to the lung center at Children's Hospital to be followed by a pulmonologist. We will be going to the OR for a scope of her nose and upper airway and adenoids. She will also have a bronchoscopy as well. The traceamalacia can be confirmed by the bronchoscopy. So I have been really busy with my sick baby. Through it all she smiles and is a trooper. We'll have more news on this on the 20th when she goes back to the ENT.

Sara - Now 4 years old and quite the character. She is growing up so fast and I can't believe next year she is starting kindegarden. God help the elementary school. She is now into mermaids. She has about 6 of them now. She is doing great!!! This year she wants to do cheerleading and gymnastics/tumbling at dance.

Kirsten - is 10 going on 21! The teenage years have started. She has gotten mouthy. Constantly talking back and having to have the last word. I have warned her now that the nintendo ds is mine the next time it happens. She wants to sleep all day and stay up all night. Ummm NO. She did very well at school and her recital. She is excited because her best friend Alyssa is in her class this year. YIKES. She is going to do cheerleading again, jazz, and tumbling.

Me - I got a new job!!!! Yep. Got hired by the VA!!! OMG it is so much better than my last job. I can't believe I stayed away for so long. We compete our contracts, the software is so much easier (what took me DAYS at my last job I can do in an hour now!!!!!), commute is shorter by 20 minutes each way, and I got a 10k payraise. I just love it. They encourage employees to go out of their way to help a veteran. I just love what I do again. The people are awesome at my new job. Love it love it love it!!!! I am so happy to be there. Seriously. The workload is so much less. I had over 200 contracts to juggle before. Now 10-15. SERIOUSLY. I have nothing but bad things to say about the Corps. I was very upset with how I left. I asked for them not to do anything (because I knew they would do it halfassed). Normally when someone leaves, there is a luncheon thrown for them, they get the rest of the afternoon off at no charge to leave, and a gift. Anyway, I went out for surgery for two weeks. While working from home because of the surgery, my boss called me and said I was not selected for the promotion in the office. WTF. I had put in for the VA so I knew I had a good chance there. Anyway, the interview was f'd up. He had himself and two people that knew NOTHING about contracting interview me. Seriously. They couldn't even qualify for the job. Quite frankly, I was insulted that such an important position was being decided that way. Who he chose was someone on the outside that they would have to TRAIN. WTF? Anyway, I interviewed for the VA two weeks later after my interview with the Corps.

So my VA interview was more like what it should have been, all contracting people on the panel. All supervisors. So I came back to work on the 26th and was hired by the VA on the 29th. Take that asshole. He was shocked to say the least as he thought I had no place to go. I don't know what he thought about that he had me locked in that hellhole. I went tdy for 2 weeks in June and started with the VA in July. I have been so happy to change. I just love it. The best thing is they are saying that I could possibly move to the hospital that is a half mile from my house in 6 mos!!!! That means no 35-40 min commute period!!!!!!!

The people are very nice and very helpful and knowlegable. Love it.

Anyway back to me leaving. They should have just done nothing. Seriously. I got a card and an $8 lunch. I didn't want a luncheon. Even when people insist on no luncheon and just an office get together, they still take up a collection from the whole agency and give a gift. My office didn't bother. Several asked me after I left if they had done one because they had missed it. I told them what happened and they were like that was so wrong. Oh and I left pics on my desk accidentally. I left at 12 noon, and I literally got them in the mail the next morning. Which means my desk was gone through IMMEDIATELY. Seriously..... Just bad feelings about that place and so glad I got out. In my new job, I have the opportunity to move up two more grades. You can only go up to a 15 in the GS system. I am already a 12. LOVE IT.

My endo is GONE since the surgery. I am very pleased with the outcome. It came out that she biopsied 6 areas. It was confirmed by pathology that endo was on my ovaries and bladder. My ob was pleased it was taken over too.

My bp has been back to normal for a few months now. My pcp says that doesn't mean you have carte blanche for more babies. I really feel one more is in my future and then I am so done. I have already asked my ob that if I did get pregnant again, could I skip the labor and just go straight for a csection hysterectomy. He said it was an excellent idea in my case, that he would be happy to do it. If I decided no more, call when I wanted the hysterectomy done.

Anyway, that's just a quick update. I'll post more later. Going on vacation tomorrow for a week!!