New Job

So, things are going SOOO MUCH better! I am excited to go to work again, and I haven't felt that way in oh, about 4 years. My last day at the old job was...whats the word... "ehh". I had to get up super early so we could go to breakfast at 8am (did anyone remember I had a baby?) My $4 breakfast was generously paid for, and then i was given a gift of office supplies (and when I say that, I mean they went to the storeroom and got extra office supplies.) Paperclips, rubberbands, a ruler, some liefsavers (PEPPERMINT!!!), a pack of post-its. It was a "Director's Bag".

I did not get an exit interview as I wanted, but I still have to fill out my "exit interview questions. So I will be answering thoroughly.

Anyways, the new job. There is lots to be done, but I'm loving it. I have been cleaning and organizing, getting a feel for things, and meeting the patrons. Which is actually quite easy as about 75% were at the family reunion this summer :)

I find it odd that Nekoosa has 2500 people, yet they have a library director, who is paid decently (not as well as my job at the other place, but still pretty well). We also have a new library. The other place had 5 times the population, a library about 1/3 the size, and less staff. Go figure.

The Library Board director is just an amazing wonderful woman. She's been so a joy to work with. In fact the whole library Board is younger people who want to get things done. It's just so much fun to go into work!

Stretch Armstrong, Superhero

Thomas is the stretchiest baby I have even seen. I knew when I was pregnant that he was stretchy, but no one believed me. Finally, I have proof!

Sinners! I absolve you!

We tried to get a picture of him smiling. As soon as he sees the camera, he stops. Just like his father....
See? The stretching? I swear, he was doing this the entire last month of the pregnancy!!!
His beefcake photo

Here is is again, eating the hand sandwich....

Thomas with his 2nd cousin Nathaniel. Nathaniel weighs 9 pound 1 oz in the picture and is 21 inches long, so he is the exact size Thomas was at birth, jsut for a reference point...

Nathaniel is crying and Thomas is going to his happy place. Thomas almost never cries now. He's one of the happiest babies I know. When Meredith and I went to Madison, Joseph would cry, but Thomas is a mellow little fellow...

Bad Bad Bad

All right, I know already! Yes, I haven't blogged in a long while (I'm sorry Syren).

At year's end, Thomas was sick. He got down to 9 pounds 4 oz, but then I started to give him some formula and he started to do better weight wise. But he still couldn't breathe well. Long story short, he was put in the hospital for two days in isolation becasue he had Influenza A. Which is the normal flu, which is not a big deal unless you are a baby. Then it's a very big deal.

I went back to work on the 7th of Jan and Thomas was put in the hospital that evening. I called my boss and asked if it was necessary that I come in as the baby was in the hospital. Of course, it was extremely important that I be there. So important that he didn't even bother to come out or email me or anything. Note my sarcasm.

Anywho, on Jan 23, I put in my two weeks notice and now have a new job. I am the Nekoosa Library Director. I have more staff, a huge new building and free rein. The Library Board president is about my age and has two kids, so she has been fantastic. Thomas gets to come first (which is how it should be) and then the job. I cna leave to take him to appointments, I can go home for lunch, I don't have to work nights or weekends. I get vision, dental, and health insurance. Eugene gets all of those and life insurance too. My other job only gave me health insurance.

Here are the reasons you all read this thing anyways....here are pictures from the time Thomas went into the hospital up to this weekend. Since the last posting, Thomas has a new cousin, Joseph, born on 12-29, and second cousin, Nathaniel Thomas, born on 1-29. So there are three boys who are only three months apart in age!

My mom was talking to Thomas, and he was hanging on every word...

Here is Thomas acting like a goon. He gets that from me....poor kid

Thomas and his favorite pal, Albert. He has just discovered (2-11-08) that he can pick Albert up and chew on his ear.

Yes, I know what this looks like " 'ere"....but really, he just likes eating his hand.

But then he looks all happy and mellow. I call this the "Adam" smile....

He likes him his hand sandwich....

This was the day the packers lost to the Giants. We were rooting for Eli...he won it for younger siblings everywhere!!!

He can hold his rattle and shake it. But he always freaks himself out.

Me and Silas at Joseph's baptism. Silas is my brother's fourth kid, 3rd boy.

More pictures to come....

My New Cousin!

Here's a picture of me in the waiting room at the hospital. We were gonna go see my new cousin, but I had to stop at urgent care because I was a sick baby.
Here I am, looking all sad. I had been up for two nights! I can't breathe, my nose is all stuffy, and mom and dad are TERRIBLE at sucking the snot out of my nose. I sound terrible. Plus, because I'm all stuffy, I can't nurse well. So mom freaked out (again....I'm detecting a theme here) and took me into the walk in clinic. There were 6 other little babies there, so apparently we have the same bug.
She how fast mom turns on me? There she is holding Joseph Daniel while Ivy holds me. I'm not happy about mom going after the new baby! He was 8lbs 5oz and 18" long. I have decided to nickname him "Ball" because that's what he looks like. Uncle David said Meredith had a hard time, and that Joseph was 8 pounds and a big baby. Mom said "Try 9 pounds..."
Who's missing in this picture? That's right....Me...Thomas! Mom made me stay away from the baby because of my sniffles....but the other boys got to go by him. Oh well, that's ok....maybe his baldness is contagious :)
Here's a picture of daddy holding Joseph. Mom and dad kept saying how little he was. I can't wait to get better so I can hang out with him and teach him how to smile and fart loud.
Even though mom was hoping for Joseph to be born on December 28th, he ended up coming at 12:15 am on December 29th! So we are exactly 2 months apart!

In even better news, Mom has got a new job! YAYYYY! She is now going to be the director at the Nekoosa Library and will be working only 2 blocks away form home. No more long drive to work, no more 11 hour days on Saturdays, no more working on Sundays! She is so happy! And I'm happy too because that means I get to see mom during the day even. I don't have to go to daycare, and mom can come home to feed me!

Christmas!

This is me with three of my cousins: Ivy, Owen and Cedric. They pet my head alot. They are expecting a new brother any day now! My aunt Meredith was having contractions on Christmas. I got some toys and things were good. I got passed around a lot and cooed over. It was nice being the new baby at christmas!
Uncle Dave is holding me. I was so tired after being passed around like a flu virus. What no one knew at the time was that I was getting sick! Also, my cousins Andrew and Ben kept teasing me and saying I looked like Waldo from Where's Waldo. I told mom to tell them they were dating themselves....Waldo is so 90's...

Here's a picture of mom with my cousin Silas. He has a mouthful of soda. And he was really helpful in helping me open my presents. Grandpa said next christmas will be lots of fun with all the boys. Mom says she worries I might be torn limb from limb becasue the older boys get so excited, they're like a pack of wild coyotes.
Here's a picture of daddy, me and mom. I'm still really tired.
Hmmm....my plan to take over the universe....# 1. Look cute and vulnerable

Here's a picture of me with Grandma and Grandpa Engwall on christmas. Notice how well we color coordinate? We didn't even plan it!

Mi Vida Loca by Thomas A.

Yes, it is another post by yours truly, Thomas A. I have my mom/secretary take dictation and post my blogs for me.

As you can see. I like to dictate from my office chair/baby swing/neglect-o-matic.

Since my last post, I have been all over town with mom and grandma. The first month of my life, I went nowhere. Second month, there's not a store mom won't stop at! But, I never cry....in fact, even mom says I'm just about the perfect baby. Mostly I sleep when we shop. I am letting mom get all comfortable so she thinks she will be able to get away with this in the future, but she won't. Also, I have a deal with the big guy....I play the part of perfect baby now, thus luring mom and dad into thinking that another baby would be wonderful because I have been such a good baby. I already have my sibling picked out...s/he's just waiting in the wings... A real hellraiser and cries alot. But shhh! We don't want mom and dad to catch on...it will ruin their surprise!

I got to go out for lunch at Country Kitchen....I've been getting pretty lucky....mom and I have run into grandma lots, which means lots of free lunches!

This is my in a contemplative moment. I am pondering the mysteries of the universe, and how amazing it is that I turned out so perfect, given the genetic material I had to work with. Mom calls it my "poop face". She is so crass....

I've been dealing with some nasty congestion (probably caused from mom dragging me all over town...) On the plus side, Auntie Jessica sent me some wonderfully cozy slippers, booties and a really warm hat. Too bad my mom has been too lazy to take any pictures so Jessica could see how cute things look on me. I really like the hat because it's so warm and soft. Everyone else at Grandma's house loved the little felted slippers. What can I say? I'm a well dressed baby.

Here I am wearing the boots Mike, Brett and Jonas Runge sent me from Deadwood, South Dakota. They're friends of mom's. Dad thought it would be funny to put the boots on me and pose me. Mom said I looked like some cartoon that used to be on Saturday mornings when she was a kid..."hanker for a hunk of cheese". I have no idea what she's talking about.

Later, I will write about Christmas and the new cousin who stole my birthday!

Babysitting with Aunt Diana

This is not my mom! (His baby acne is really bad...poor Tnut.)


Me and Aunt Diana.
Diana offered me Doritos and Captain's and Mountain Dew. I told he mom would get mad, so I drank my milk instead!