$3.19 down the drain...well, the heating vent...almost.

Let me begin by saying: Milk is $3.19 a gallon? Wasn't it just $2.29 last week?

Why is it that whenever I try to unlock the door while carrying my purse, Sarah, and all the groceries, the one thing I drop is the milk? Why couldn't I have dropped my purse? Or frozen pizza? Or anything else I was carrying (except Sarah of course)? I'll be happy once Girlfriend can walk...then she can help me carry the groceries. Right?

I had almost made it. Actually, I had made it! I managed to close and lock the car, open and close the gate, unlock and open the back door, and set all the groceries on the kitchen table. Next thing I knew, there was a thud and milk spraying all over the kitchen floor. Hence, $3.19 down the drain...and almost the heating vent.

For future reference, it takes approximately 4 bathroom towels to absorb a gallon of milk. Also - Sarah finds the cleaning process fascinating and is willing to sit still and watch! Good girl!

So what is new since the last time I posted? I still have not found a job. There was a time last week when I was majorly stressed about that. (I also had the worst day of work that I have ever had at my job that week.) But - my loving husband kindly did some research on the cost of medical insurance and assured me that we will be okay. Even if it takes longer to find a job than we had anticipated, we will not be out on the street. I am still looking for a job, and the market in the midwest is not the greatest, but we are confident that God will provide for our needs...whether that is in the way we had in mind or not! :)

Sarah. She is changing so much! She now has an upper tooth, and there are 3 more just waiting to cut through. Her hair is getting thicker. I noticed today that she is going to have Mommy's bushy eyebrows. She may need them if she sweats like a DeArmon! :) Sarah now crawls with her belly off the floor. She stands. She tries to stand without holding onto things, but she's not real good at that yet. She takes steps side-to-side but doesn't really grasp the walking concept yet. She says "da-da" and "bu-bu" which sometimes sounds like Bible with a southern accent. She loves her "Bluebeary" and knows him by name. She knows Monkey by name and attacks him on command. She is a handful, and we love her more every day.

Future Plans

This past week has involved some box packing. For those of you who do not know, we are moving! We have decided to head back towards our families, and we are planning to leave here in early October! These next few weeks will involve a lot more packing, many goodbyes, and a frantic job search.

The plan right now is for me to look into travel nursing. For those who do not know who that is: Many hospitals find themselves short on staff, and they need short-term help. They hire in travellers who are contracted for anywhere from 4 to 52 weeks - the most common is a 3 month (13 week) contract. As a traveller, I basically tell a healthcare staffing company what states I am interested in, and they look for hospitals who need help. They line up interviews for me, and I find myself a job. The company provides housing, travel reimbursement, helps me obtain the necessary licensure for that state, etc. After my contract is up, I am free to sign on with another hospital, move into a permanent position, take a month-long vacation, etc. It sounds like a great plan...I just need to find a job! :) I am currently talking with about 4 travel companies, so I am praying they help us come up with something close to our families!

It is going to be difficult to leave. There are many people that we will miss dearly. I love my co-workers, and it is going to be sad to leave them. Our church truly is our family away from family, and we love them so much. It will be difficult to take Sarah, knowing she will not remember the people who have played such an important role in her early life. We need to take many, many pictures in the next few weeks.

In Sarah news...

Notice the exercise ball in this picture. This is the ball I use to bounce Sarah to sleep, so it stays in her room. Notice the proximity of the ball to the crib. Sarah was supposed to be napping, and I heard some noise in her room. When I went in to check on her, she had the crib bumper pulled down, her arms were stuck through the slats on the side of the crib, and she was rolling the ball back and forth. She's a stinker!


The next day...

She was supposed to be napping. I went in to check on her, and I found her like this! She had never stood up in her crib before (that I know of), and I was quite surprised to find her eating the railing.


Five minutes after that last picture was taken, this is what she looked like. She's a little sweetheart. :)

She'll be fun at Christmas

Since Sarah has been born, I have been receiving free issues of Parenting Magazine. I enjoy these magazines - free is always nice. They contain useful articles and have led me to many helpful frugal parenting websites. A few days ago, Sarah found another use for them. :)

Ah, that girl...I sure love her. :)

She outgrew her infant carrier. :( I had known all along that the weight limit was 20 pounds. I was timing it out...we had about 2 more months. Then a few days ago, I read the sticker on the carrier again. It also has a height limit: 26 inches! She reached that around 5 months! Sad, tall girl. Tim installed her rear-facing converter seat in my car. Unfortunatley, this means that if she falls asleep in the car, we will most likely have to wake her to get her out

In light of this, I have been experimenting with new ways to get Sarah to sleep. I found one that is good for Mommy and Baby: bouncing on an exercise ball. With Sarah's ability to fight sleep and my determination to fight right back, I am going to have excellent abs. :)