The Plan

I guess just so everyone knows, Cam has decided that is the Seattle job falls through we are going up to Seattle for school anyway (he is going to go to GRCC and finish his associates and then see where he wants to go from there). He isn't even 100% sure he will take the Seattle job, or wait for it if they aren't hiring right away, anymore either.

We already applied him to GRCC and he was accepted. He is tentatively thinking about physical therapy or sports medicine stuff. It look like either way we are planning on being up in Seattle area by the end of March at the latest. THere are still a lot of details to iron out but we have started the process for applying for grants and student loans, now we still need to find a place to live and get Cam (and possibly me too) are part time job. Please keep your eyes open for good part time jobs and/or cheap 2 room apartments if you could (Jen, how much was rent at the complex you and Dane were at that is right down the street from GRCC?)

Another Short One

Portland is a no-go. Cam got the news this morning, so he is applying for the Seattle position. If that doesn't go well either we are still planning on moving up for him to go to school, probably after Christmas sometime.

Also I finished the "Twilight" series last night, I stayed up a little late to do it... I didn't get to bed until almost 1am, but luckily Chelane is deciding to do her long stretches today. She didn't get me up the first time until about 5am and hasn't gotten up again yet (it is almost 11am - I am going to wake her soon if she doesn't rouse). I liked the books, the last one made me cry (all the parts where she is preparing to send off Renesmee and thinking they will all die, it tugs at a mother's heart strings).

Well I should get back to my amazingly perfect children, Dallas is eating Honey Bunches of Oats in milk downstairs with a spoon (still, hopefully) and I need to see how much damage has been done to the kitchen :/

E*Trade Makes Me Happy

So they put off the starting time of the Portland position another week, so that is another week of waiting. Also the Seattle position opened, but we have no idea when they are wanting to fill that by. Cam is also struggling with the decision of either applying to these jobs or just forgetting about them and planning on school full-time.

I am only about ready to pull my hair out, but it is no big deal :)

I feel like I should write something...

but I can't quite decide what. With a new baby around there should be tons of stuff to write about, I guess I am just feeling overwhelmed at it all.

Dallas is taking to his new baby sister very well... sometimes too well. He figured out how to climb up on Cam and mine's bed (which is quite a feat, the bed is only an inch or two shorter than he is and to accomplish this he balances on the bed frame and gathers fists full of our blankets to hoist himself up) which isn't bad except sometimes I put Chelane on the bed and leave. I can be gone for only a few moments and Dallas will almost always have scurried up on the bed. He really just wants to hold her and play with her but he doesn't know his own strength nor the special care she requires.

Today Mom and I (I am very lucky to have Mom here to help with everything around the house and keep my company, I know I will be lonely when she leaves) were showing Dallas how to play catch with his ball. It is one of those $3 plastic balls from the big bins in a Wal*mart. You know, the really thin plastic ones that are about 9" in diameter and even if you chucked them with all your might it still wouldn't hurt whoever you were aiming at. Well he really loved it. Later that day I brought Chelane downstairs and put her in her swing while I made some dinner (Chelane decided to be awake from about 2:30 to 5). Dallas was running around, once and a while pushing the swing alittle or caressing Chelane's head or hand. I then turn to see him running across the room with his ball that he drops onto her lap. Luckily the game ended there, he removed the ball and had no interest in trying to play catch with her any longer.

Dallas has also developed a dislike for loud noises. I notice I tend to raise my voice often and for really no reason. When I do this Dallas will "shush" me. He also will "shush" if Chelane is crying (which only seems to happen if I have let her get hungry or she is in the middle of diaper change).

Chelane has started to do some long stretches at night. Last night she ate alittle after 10pm, so i was expecting her to wake me up around 1 or 2am to eat again. When she started to cry it was past 4am. I am trying to wake her up every 3 hours during the day (she does it herself anyways, I just encourage) to make sure she is getting enough to eat to justify longer stretches at night (I like those longer stretches). She is also producing enough diapers that I am not too worried about her not getting enough. I will admit I am scared to have a Dallas repeat (failure to thrive at the 2 week appointment) although she doesn't fall asleep nursing after 5 minutes the way Dallas did, so I am hoping we have this nursing thing figured out.

It is very nice to be able to be at home and relax. I was out and about a lot after Dallas was born (Cam's family was in town and my family was in town... not to mention moving when Dallas was 5 days old...) and I think that contributed to my failure to figure out nursing with him. This is a nice contrast.

Oh I kept debating on if I should say anything about this, I am getting sick of the uncertainty to be honest... So Cam didn't get rejected for the Portland job. He hadn't had any email or any contact from the Portland manager so he sent him a company IM on Monday. Apparently they have filled 2 of the 4 positions with locals (non E*Trade people I am guessing) and the manager in Portland is fighting with Human Resources about something (he couldn't say what) before he fills the other two positions (I am guessing with E*Trade people). So hopefully we are still in the running and Portland can happen. Ah, if I only had patience...

Well that is most of the exciting stuff around here. I should carry the camera around the house with me and shoot some pictures to post... posts without pictures just seem to be no fun.

Events This Last Week

Well Chelane finally came (yay! she just couldn't wait another day for October!) and she is absolutely adorable. Cam and I have taken to her right away. She is a very mild baby. She is sleeping for three hour intervals between feedings and isn't awake very often yet. I have been nursing her and she seems to be having enough diapers to suggest she is eating a good amount, I guess we will see for sure at her two week check-up. Here are a few pictures.


As for Cameron's job... He hasn't heard anything all week so he is figuring that he has a rejection email sitting in his inbox at work (he can only access his work email at work). We will find out "for sure" on Monday, but for now he doesn't have it. We are both pretty bummed about that, but it just looks like he is going to start throwing his resume out there and see if anything turns up.

Dallas has started to try to take his clothes off *sigh* He apparently didn't want to be wearing his shirt (I think this was Monday, the day before Chelane was born) and was trying to get it off. Luckily the shirt stretches or "un-stretches" when it is washed.


Apparently Dallas has become accustom to cameras and has decided on a certain face for his "smile." When we pulled out the camera to try to get pictures of Chelane while she was awake Dallas walked in front of it and gave us this priceless face.

Still Waiting

Well since I said to expect a post in a week regarding the job opportunity in Portland I figure I need to update. Cam hadn't heard anything from the Portland office all last week. On Friday about an hour before his shift ended (which would be 2 PST) he sent a message to the manager inquiring about the position. The dude in Portland told him that they hadn't figured it out yet. Cam let them know that he was expecting a baby still (he had mentioned it at the original interview as well) and that he may not be in work next week depending on what happens. The Portland guys say they will give him a call on his cell phone, if he isn't at work, to let him know about the job.

I guess this shouldn't come as a HUGE shock to anyone that has been following the stock market the last few weeks; there have been tons of banks going under and huge plummets and rises, so things have been pretty busy. Anyway, the training for the position starts a week from Monday (October 6th) so E*Trade technically has all of next week to mull over the decision of who they are hiring as well, I just hope they let us know sooner rather than later. Hopefully the delay also means that they are trying to get funding to help with moves (since they are having to import employees).

In other news I am still waiting on Chelane to decide to make her entrance into this world as well. I was due last Monday (the 22nd) and there is no "change" that I can see to make me predict when she is coming. I am hoping it will be sooner rather than later as well since there will be a lot to do if we have to move and I would like to be pretty recovered from child birth when I have to make a 12 hour drive to Oregon. *Sigh* I hate everything being to up in the air.

For something completly different Dallas broke our DVD player this week. He tried to put both Baby Signing Times in at the same time... Cam had to take a screw driver to the player to get them out and once he put it back together it wouldn't read the DVD's. It is OK though, the player was old, the remote only worked half the time, and we got a new player for about $30.

Portland

So Cam had his interview for the RM position in Portland yesterday. Cam has applied to almost anything that has opened up in the Sandy center over the past few months (about 3 different positions); after all those interviews, however, he said he didn't feel good about the interview... he didn't think some of his answers were good or he felt ill-prepared, etc. When he came home yesterday he said he felt good about the interview. I take that to be a good sign.

If he gets the position he would have a week of training in Seattle, a week in GA and then start on Oct 20th in Portland. We will know if he got the position by the end of next week so (for those of you not doing the math) that will leave basically 3 weeks for 2 weeks of out-of-town training and moving. That also means (for those of you not following too closely along) that I will be packing up the house pretty much by myself with a newborn and a toddler running around. At least I won't be bored! Hopefully Karma can help out...

As you can tell (well maybe you can't) I am getting my hopes up, which I know I shouldn't be. I am just VERY ready to be out of the desert and I know Cam is ready to be off his estate and retirement team. Anyway, we will find out by the end of next week, so watch out for a post along those lines in a week!

The Waiting Game...

I didn't expect to be waiting until my due date with this pregnancy, but it looks like that is where I am headed. Dallas came over 2 weeks early so I just assumed that would happen again, but here I am 8 days from the due date and nothing. Cam is looking forward to his daughter, not only to have another baby but also to take some time off of stressfull work.

Also Cam is applying for a position within E*Trade at a new office they are opening in Portland. It is the same position we have been waiting to open in the Seattle office, but this will at least get us out of the desert at considerably closer to family. He has an interview on Wednesday and the position would start October 20th (when Cam first told me about the position I thought they would *maybe* be filling it by around Christmas... this would be happening a lot quicker than that).

Dallas started saying some more words. He has "yes" ("ya-ya" in a very happy (and high) voice), "no" (complete with head shaking), juice ("oo-s" along with the sign), and cereal (sounds a lot like his juice but he is signing cereal along with it), and "uh-oh" that I have only heard a few times. His understanding of words has ballooned and he is starting to obey better (and at the same time be more defiant). Cam and I are looking forward to his verbal skills taking off.

Being Bored

So Cam has worked at least 10 hour days so far this week. Monday was 11.5, Tuesday and Wednesday were 11, and yesterday was a little over 10. He leaves at 6:15 am (before Dallas or I wake up) and gets home between 6:30 and 7:30 pm, depending on how long his day is. Dallas usually goes to bed around 8 or 8:30 pm.

I am happy about the extra money that will come next pay check, but I am not so thrilled about Cam not being around and him not being able to spend much time with Dallas. Also next week Dallas and I are going up to Washington so we won't see Cam at all then either *sigh*

I have gotten used to Cam being home at 4:30 pm that I don't know quite what to do with myself in the evening when he isn't here and the days seem so long.

Cam had been moved to a retirement and estates team a while ago (without any pay change or option to say "no" really) and it has been taxing on him. I think dealing with dead people and sometimes emotional family members all day would do that to anyone. This week though he is covering or someone covering for someone else at a training session. He answers questions and take escalated calls (if any) from the new employees. He only take retirement calls if the queue is overly full. He commented that his 11 hour days this week have seemed shorter than his 8 hour regular days. He keeps applying for anything that opens up, so hopefully something will catch and he can move to a better paying, less stressful position.