Parental Advice Needed...

And yes, I did talk to my own mother before posting this. Jason asks me on almost a daily basis if we can pick out nursery furniture. I am so completely undecided on this topic its not even funny. So, to all the parents out there: What is your opinion when it comes to nursery furniture?

1. Do we get a standard drop-side crib (I'm only 5ft. 3) and then transition the child to a twin bed later?

2. Do we get a convertible bed that goes from crib to toddler bed to full size bed (which will not fit in the room, meaning we have to get a twin bed when the toddler bed is too small, or have another child that can then use the crib)?

I have multiple dilemma's on both points. The standard crib seems a waste of money because we have to get a twin bed in maybe 2 years as opposed to maybe 4 years if the child still fits in the toddler bed. The bonus is the drop-side that benefits me in getting mini-me in/out of bed. With the convertible crib, most are not drop side for "safety reasons," and the front height varies from bed to bed, some hitting me below the belly button and others above, which is difficult. The magazines (virtually the only way to get baby furniture in our area) don't specify the front height, unfortunately. Other issues with the convertible bed are, is it really going to last long enough to eventually even be a full size bed or will it be too nasty and beat up by then to want it displayed in the house? What if mini-me decides to gnaw on the rails as my un-named sister did as a baby, leaving the foot board to the future full size bed marred? Either way, do we need solid wood, or is solid wood plus veneers good enough and durable enough to last?

As you can see, I'm pulling my hair out and have way too many options and not enough decisions. There are too many unforeseeables in my decision making process. We read some of the reviews of beds on the internet, but those are people we don't know giving opinions, but how reliable are they and what were their expectations?

Any parental advice is greatly appreciated on the topic. What kind of crib did you get? Solid wood? Convertible? Was it durable? Did it last? Would you have gotten the same thing again? Is your child old enough to convert the bed to full size and was the bed still in any condition to do that?

I'm open to all advice on the topic...

Now Hiring...

So, work is nuts right now! I'm a home health occupational therapist and I love my job...until it takes over my life. Enter now. My productive quota a week is 24 visits, i.e. 6 visits per day, 4 days a week. This week has been about 9-11 patients per day, ranging in driving distance from 5 minutes away to 1.5 hours away! Can we say exhausting week and next week not looking much better. There is another OT at work, too, but she is also drowning in patients and visits. So...being the smart thinkers we are, we asked the boss for another OT.

Ahem...
Seeking full time occupational therapist for home health agency. Great job...plenty of work to keep ya busy all day.

Seriously though, if you know a good OT looking for a little extra work or a new job, please let me know. I'm more than happy to talk to ya about it and really do love my job. The other kicker is, as mentioned in the previous post and my header, I'm kinda pregnant and gonna go on maternity leave eventually. I would like to still have my other OT at work when I return and not have her admitted to a psych hospital for treatment!

They say you'll always have a job in healthcare/therapy...no arguing with that right now!

Welcome to Gibsonville...

Well you can thank my wonderful sister over at Wade's World for introducing me to blogging. She is awesome at blogging and I in no way intend to attempt to be as good as her at this! This is just my way of keeping up with my life and amusing Amy! So here we go...

Welcome to Gibsonville.
I met my husband at church my senior year of high school, Oct. 14, 2001. We became good friends fairly quickly and he was one of my strongest backers when I went to college. We talked at least once a week and he was constantly encouraging me and praying for me. We started dating the summer after my first year of college and never looked back. He proposed while we were home on break from the summer camp we were working on July 18, 2005. He had me totally fooled and both of our families were completely in on the fun. He went all out and spelled "Will you marry me?" using dowels and fishing line across the swimming pool in my parents' back yard. We were married November 18, 2006 at the church where we met.


On July 3, 2009 we found out that we are expecting our first child March 14, 2010. We were going to North Carolina that weekend to see Jason's grandmother and had told each other we would wait until after the weekend to test. We changed our minds Friday morning and went ahead and tested. It was about 6:30 in the morning when I tested and then went and crawled back in bed, determined not to look until the 2 minutes were up. I cheated and looked early. The only sounds I made were indeterminable gasps and ooh's. Jason said, "Don't mess with me." So I showed it him. After several more ooh's and "Oh my goodness"es and "No ways" we were semi convinced. I took another test which was quickly positive and then we didn't know what to do.

We went ahead and went to NC, keeping our secret hush-hush. Sunday, when we got back home we went to my parents house where my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew were going to eat supper with the family. We had snuck in the house ahead of everyone and set up our camera with a picture of our news. We told them we wanted to show them pictures from our trip and rafting, etc. My sister blurts out, "You're not making an annoucement, are you?" We dismissed that comment and proceeded. The first picture was of me sitting in the rocking chair of my grandmother's that my husband had redone. The second was me sitting in the chair with belly showing, which said, "Guess what?"



The room went completely silent. I mean, crickets chirping silent. After a few seconds I turned around to see everyone's open mouthed stares. Apparently no one saw this coming and we completely shocked them (our goal). My sister, while elated, was not so happy that I had not informed her we were trying to get pregnant.

I went the dr. the next week to confirm the pregnancy and as of this post I'm 10 1/2 weeks pregnant. So far, pregnancy and my body aren't quite sure they want to be friends. At 8 weeks I woke up with pain on the right side of my back. Suspecting a kidney infection, I got a glass of water. Let's just say that water was not what my kidneys/stomach wanted. After several hours in the ER and a follow-up appt. with my great OB the next day, I was admitted to the hospital for a week to treat a UTI and kidney infection. Unbeknowst to anyone, I also had a kidney stone which I passed the day I was scheduled to get out of the hospital. So far, no more stones or infections, but I was informed to prepare for the next one. Lucky me! I'm now on a high liquid diet, which is tons of fun while pregnant. Oh, and did I mention that I'm a home health therapist and travel for a living, sometimes up to an hour and a half away! I have stopped in some of the nastiest places known to man all for the love of my child, my kidneys, and my poor bladder!

Hopefully, I will be able to update regularly to keep myself and everyone else up to date with life here in Gibsonville. Stick around for the inevitable fun that lies ahead with pregnancy and parenting...