A year in review.
Wow, what a year. 'Tis the season for reflection. What better way to do so than to think about all that has happened over the last twelve months, and that is a lot. We went from this...
to this.
Not bad if I do say so myself.
Now, we will take some time and look at the accomplishments and obstacles we have overcome and/or achieved. I would do this is the typical '80's sitcom filler reflection show format where the family sits around and talks about past episodes, but they quit doing that on TV for a reason. So, I will just give you the highlight reel and insert some links to my more popular posts.
BACK TO SCHOOL
With becoming a father quickly turning into a reality, I realized I needed to get a real job that didn't include the eventuality of losing some part of my body that was designed to stay attached. The only way to do this is to get an education. I am not belittling anyone who has a body mangling job. You gotta do what you gotta do. I figured I had to do everything I can to provide the best I can for my family.
I have been back in school for a whole year now. And like any student, I have changed my major in the last year more times than a Dungeons and Dragons player has showered. In case you don't know what that means, it means 5. I have changed five times. First, I was placed as a psyche major. I took the first class and realized I just don't like people enough to actually care what their issues are, let alone help them with them. So, we moved on to one of my favorite things to do, horticulture. The downside to that was that no matter how far you go, you will never really make a whole lot of cash. Also, I would most likely have to move across the state to finish the degree and there is a major financial issue there.
Next, I decided that money was more important than happiness, so a figured out a field I could stand for the rest of my life as long as I got a fat check every month. Yay Pharmacist!! The down side to that was when I actually started talking to Pharmacists. Basically, you do the exact same thing every day for the rest of your life. Also, you don't ever really get any kind of a raise unless you go to a different pharmacy that really wants you to stand there and count pills better than anyone else. I could still get down with that because they can make a ton of cash. Then I found out that there were something like 50 new pharmacist programs that had opened up and the market was soon to be flooded with unemployed licensed pharmacists. So, on to the next.
Medical imaging sounded pretty good because medical people are always in demand and imaging doesn't require you to touch people so much as a CNA, RN, or DR. I took a few classes to get into the program and thought it would be fun until I realized that I would have to spend 3 years in a backward, drug infested town where too many people come up missing or dead on a regular basis. The last part (regular basis) is the only difference between there and where we are now.
I am pretty fed up with everything changing so often that I decided to get a business degree in hopes that it might help me get into more places. Everything is a business when it comes down to it. So, a business degree fits every field. I could be wrong though.
I also found out from my adventures in higher learning that you really don't have much time to do the things you want to do or enjoy. Throw a new kid in the mix and you will never write again. But I am trying to do better with my posting this year.
With becoming a father quickly turning into a reality, I realized I needed to get a real job that didn't include the eventuality of losing some part of my body that was designed to stay attached. The only way to do this is to get an education. I am not belittling anyone who has a body mangling job. You gotta do what you gotta do. I figured I had to do everything I can to provide the best I can for my family.
I have been back in school for a whole year now. And like any student, I have changed my major in the last year more times than a Dungeons and Dragons player has showered. In case you don't know what that means, it means 5. I have changed five times. First, I was placed as a psyche major. I took the first class and realized I just don't like people enough to actually care what their issues are, let alone help them with them. So, we moved on to one of my favorite things to do, horticulture. The downside to that was that no matter how far you go, you will never really make a whole lot of cash. Also, I would most likely have to move across the state to finish the degree and there is a major financial issue there.
Next, I decided that money was more important than happiness, so a figured out a field I could stand for the rest of my life as long as I got a fat check every month. Yay Pharmacist!! The down side to that was when I actually started talking to Pharmacists. Basically, you do the exact same thing every day for the rest of your life. Also, you don't ever really get any kind of a raise unless you go to a different pharmacy that really wants you to stand there and count pills better than anyone else. I could still get down with that because they can make a ton of cash. Then I found out that there were something like 50 new pharmacist programs that had opened up and the market was soon to be flooded with unemployed licensed pharmacists. So, on to the next.
Medical imaging sounded pretty good because medical people are always in demand and imaging doesn't require you to touch people so much as a CNA, RN, or DR. I took a few classes to get into the program and thought it would be fun until I realized that I would have to spend 3 years in a backward, drug infested town where too many people come up missing or dead on a regular basis. The last part (regular basis) is the only difference between there and where we are now.
I am pretty fed up with everything changing so often that I decided to get a business degree in hopes that it might help me get into more places. Everything is a business when it comes down to it. So, a business degree fits every field. I could be wrong though.
I also found out from my adventures in higher learning that you really don't have much time to do the things you want to do or enjoy. Throw a new kid in the mix and you will never write again. But I am trying to do better with my posting this year.
THE FIRST 6 MONTHS
The first 6 months of the year were filled with doctor appointments and adjusting to the many changes my wife went through. The most trying of all was the Dreaded Brain Fog. This is my wife's most favoritest entry I have made on this site. I have to say it was an adventure I really don't care to repeat ever again. The entire world suddenly switched to fast forward while my wife was stuck in slow motion. I was somewhere in the middle. Sort of like being thrown in a flooded river with a rope tied to your belt that is attached to a rock in the middle of the rushing water. What a wedgie! But, we survived that one. This is exceptionally impressive due to the fact that my wife could not remember where she set something 5 seconds before but managed to make it through a couple of terms in school. We almost didn't make it through the spring term as Huberto showed up at the beginning of the last week. Luckily our teachers were very cool. It also helped that I managed to leave the hospital long enough to go ace my math final. I should mention our writing teacher was amazing and worked with us all through the process. She uses us as an example to other students who make excuses as to why they couldn't get things done. "Well, I had these two students who had a baby and missed the last week of class. They still managed to get everything turned in" (not a direct quote but more of what I think she would tell people. Actually, I think she would have used the words Awesome and Amazing a lot more. For example, My wife is Amazing. Have I ever told you how amazing my wife is?).
Another exciting thing was that we attended birthing classes. that was an interesting experience. Nothing like being trapped in a room full of expecting mothers and uncomfortable regretful fathers. Here are those links (, Birthing Class 1part 2, part 3, part 4, , and part 5part 6). We are scheduled for a reunion any day now. It should be interesting to see how that plays out. We are excited to show off our adorable little guy.
The first 6 months of the year were filled with doctor appointments and adjusting to the many changes my wife went through. The most trying of all was the Dreaded Brain Fog. This is my wife's most favoritest entry I have made on this site. I have to say it was an adventure I really don't care to repeat ever again. The entire world suddenly switched to fast forward while my wife was stuck in slow motion. I was somewhere in the middle. Sort of like being thrown in a flooded river with a rope tied to your belt that is attached to a rock in the middle of the rushing water. What a wedgie! But, we survived that one. This is exceptionally impressive due to the fact that my wife could not remember where she set something 5 seconds before but managed to make it through a couple of terms in school. We almost didn't make it through the spring term as Huberto showed up at the beginning of the last week. Luckily our teachers were very cool. It also helped that I managed to leave the hospital long enough to go ace my math final. I should mention our writing teacher was amazing and worked with us all through the process. She uses us as an example to other students who make excuses as to why they couldn't get things done. "Well, I had these two students who had a baby and missed the last week of class. They still managed to get everything turned in" (not a direct quote but more of what I think she would tell people. Actually, I think she would have used the words Awesome and Amazing a lot more. For example, My wife is Amazing. Have I ever told you how amazing my wife is?).
Another exciting thing was that we attended birthing classes. that was an interesting experience. Nothing like being trapped in a room full of expecting mothers and uncomfortable regretful fathers. Here are those links (, Birthing Class 1part 2, part 3, part 4, , and part 5part 6). We are scheduled for a reunion any day now. It should be interesting to see how that plays out. We are excited to show off our adorable little guy.
MEDICAL ISSUES AND RELATED FRUSTRATIONS
Boy oh boy did we get more than our fair share of this. I am sick of Hospitals and doctor's offices. I have mentioned in previous posts that we got our prenatal care at a particular place that was pretty awesome. If you want to know the name you will need to go looking through past posts. Anyway, they were very awesome with the prenatal care. My wife developed gestational diabetes toward the end which caused an excess of fluid. Also, she had a couple of fibroids that began to grow. One of them reached the size of a baby's head and would continually throw off whoever was trying to feel to see which way our boy was resting. Doesn't sound like much but it really did cause plenty of issues and stress on our part. We bounced from doctor to doctor and didn't really know what was going on anymore.
But, this was nothing compared to the actual birthing event which you can read here (part 1 and part ). This was hands down the most scariest moment of my life. I honestly hope that it stays the most scariest because I don't think I could handle anything that would top that. 2
Boy oh boy did we get more than our fair share of this. I am sick of Hospitals and doctor's offices. I have mentioned in previous posts that we got our prenatal care at a particular place that was pretty awesome. If you want to know the name you will need to go looking through past posts. Anyway, they were very awesome with the prenatal care. My wife developed gestational diabetes toward the end which caused an excess of fluid. Also, she had a couple of fibroids that began to grow. One of them reached the size of a baby's head and would continually throw off whoever was trying to feel to see which way our boy was resting. Doesn't sound like much but it really did cause plenty of issues and stress on our part. We bounced from doctor to doctor and didn't really know what was going on anymore.
But, this was nothing compared to the actual birthing event which you can read here (part 1 and part ). This was hands down the most scariest moment of my life. I honestly hope that it stays the most scariest because I don't think I could handle anything that would top that. 2
ADJUSTING TO LIFE WITH A BABY
So, after our huge ordeal of a birth, we have been busy trying to figure out how to keep the kid alive. It turns out that you can't put blankets, bumper pads, or anything at all in with the baby while it sleeps anymore. There are many things that have changed over the years. Basically, anything anyone has ever done in the history of child rearing is no longer allowed. According to today's standards, none of us ever survived. So, I guess that makes us all zombies. As silly as that sounds, the results are compelling enough for us to follow along. Laying your baby on their back when they sleep has reduced SIDS by 60% or so.
Aside from survival tactics, this kid is constantly keeping us on our toes. It is amazing to see him grow and learn. It is hard for me some times because I have to remind myself he is not a dog and I have to treat him differently from Chewie. I also have to remember that Hugh is a smart kid and Chewie is not the smartest dog. Speaking of smart...
So, after our huge ordeal of a birth, we have been busy trying to figure out how to keep the kid alive. It turns out that you can't put blankets, bumper pads, or anything at all in with the baby while it sleeps anymore. There are many things that have changed over the years. Basically, anything anyone has ever done in the history of child rearing is no longer allowed. According to today's standards, none of us ever survived. So, I guess that makes us all zombies. As silly as that sounds, the results are compelling enough for us to follow along. Laying your baby on their back when they sleep has reduced SIDS by 60% or so.
Aside from survival tactics, this kid is constantly keeping us on our toes. It is amazing to see him grow and learn. It is hard for me some times because I have to remind myself he is not a dog and I have to treat him differently from Chewie. I also have to remember that Hugh is a smart kid and Chewie is not the smartest dog. Speaking of smart...
I WOULDN'T TRADE HIM FOR ANYTHING
I know everyone thinks their kid is a genius. I am no exception. However, the evidence I present cannot be disputed unless of course you want to dispute it. From a very young age I noticed his thinking face. This is funny because we found out that the name Hugh means "A Thinker". He watches everything and is now starting to mimic what we do. It always cracks him up when I noisily take a sip of my coffee and let out a big Aaaahhhhhhhhh! He started doing that with his bottle. I also do the Homer Simpson biting noise (not a clue how to spell that). He does it in his sleep.
But the real evidence is that he loves written words. We will have the TV on for noise (for us) and he won't pay any attention to it. But, when the music comes on for the credits, he drops what he is dong and turns all attention to the screen. When it gets back to the show, he goes back to what he is doing. Additionally, when we put him in his car seat, crib, or activity center, the first thing he does is consult the warning label. One can never be too safe I guess. I should also mention he loves books and being read to.
As if that were not enough, he is super funny and smiley. We have said many times to many people that he rarely cries. Then, when they see him, he cries. That makes them think we are liars. Well, no actually. The rare occasions he does cry usually are due to the fact that he got his father's lack of interest in other people. I will make a note of it for when he thinks he might want to go into psychology. He does cry but usually when he is hungry or he bashes his head into something hard one too many times. He does get fussy when he gets tired. But, he is nothing like a lot of the kids I have seen or heard about. For the most part, he is either smiling or laughing at something or absolutely nothing. I laugh at nothing all the time. So, we spend a lot of tie laughing at different nothings all day.
And if that doesn't convince someone to keep him around, there is always the fact that he is so darn cute.
I know everyone thinks their kid is a genius. I am no exception. However, the evidence I present cannot be disputed unless of course you want to dispute it. From a very young age I noticed his thinking face. This is funny because we found out that the name Hugh means "A Thinker". He watches everything and is now starting to mimic what we do. It always cracks him up when I noisily take a sip of my coffee and let out a big Aaaahhhhhhhhh! He started doing that with his bottle. I also do the Homer Simpson biting noise (not a clue how to spell that). He does it in his sleep.
But the real evidence is that he loves written words. We will have the TV on for noise (for us) and he won't pay any attention to it. But, when the music comes on for the credits, he drops what he is dong and turns all attention to the screen. When it gets back to the show, he goes back to what he is doing. Additionally, when we put him in his car seat, crib, or activity center, the first thing he does is consult the warning label. One can never be too safe I guess. I should also mention he loves books and being read to.
As if that were not enough, he is super funny and smiley. We have said many times to many people that he rarely cries. Then, when they see him, he cries. That makes them think we are liars. Well, no actually. The rare occasions he does cry usually are due to the fact that he got his father's lack of interest in other people. I will make a note of it for when he thinks he might want to go into psychology. He does cry but usually when he is hungry or he bashes his head into something hard one too many times. He does get fussy when he gets tired. But, he is nothing like a lot of the kids I have seen or heard about. For the most part, he is either smiling or laughing at something or absolutely nothing. I laugh at nothing all the time. So, we spend a lot of tie laughing at different nothings all day.
And if that doesn't convince someone to keep him around, there is always the fact that he is so darn cute.
WHAT THIS YEAR HELD FOR US
All in all it was an interesting year. I must say that aside from all the wonderful things Hugh has brought into our lives, 2014 was really just a giant steaming pile of crap. There are a lot of things going on in our lives that we don't advertise to others. They made a wonderful crescendo right around Christmas that almost gave both of us a nervous breakdown. As I said, we don't really advertise these things but I will share this with you. After 9 months of being pregnant, a scary cesarean birth, and the recovering there of, my poor wife was ready to be back to normal. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
See, the universe hates us and seems to take every opportunity to get our hopes up long enough to throw a fresh load of crap our way. As my wife was healing up, we had the wonderful fibroid to contend with still. It basically comes down to a hysterectomy. That seems simple enough. Remember how much the universe hates us? The fibroid is located in a place that makes it super easy for the surgeon to cut the line running from her kidneys to her bladder (it is called a ureter for those who really need to know). Apparently that would be bad to cut. But, good news, there is a series of shots they give that will shrink the fibroid so they can remove it easier. So, for 3 months, my wife was taking the shot. Side effects include softening of bones by way of ripping the calcium from your bones. Also, you get a serious case of brain fog.
So, now we are basically back to what it was like being pregnant except for the not being able to get out of bed or walk part. Wait a minute. Guess who developed a pain in her leg that made her unable to walk fast at all. So much so that old people in walkers go zipping past shaking their fists at the slow poke? And, who do you think was now unable to get out of bed in less than five minutes? Guess who also couldn't get on the floor and play with her son, carry anything, or do anything without someone there to help in case she attempted it and couldn't after all? Imagine that you are going through this and your doctor tells you it sounds like sciatica and that is it. Imagine that they send you to a different doctor who tells you that it sounds like sciatica and you should get that checked by someone else. Further imagine that you tried one more doctor and they did absolutely nothing just like the others? Pretty horrible when considering that this pain has lasted for several months. Now imagine the relief that you would get from going to an urgent care place and for the first time, someone actually took the time to X-ray the area and try steroids to loosen up the muscles and such. This is why we cannot recommend that wonderful place we went to for prenatal care. They basically write you off once you have the baby.
On top of this, there is still the matter of the fibroid. The doctor felt around to estimate the size of the fibroid and declared it had shrunk by 60%. Hurray! Finally something good. This makes the hysterectomy so much easier and shortens the recovery time by weeks. Except that when they did an ultrasound, the fibroid barely shrunk at all. That means we are back to a 6 week recovery time. This also means that someone will have to sit out for an entire term of school. This also means 3 months of drastically reduced income. And this is just a small portion of things that have gone wrong this year. Truth be told, I have start many many posts but never finished them or deleted them because they were nothing more than a hate filled rant brought on by frustration. So, let us move on to the new year and the wonderful things it will bring to us.
All in all it was an interesting year. I must say that aside from all the wonderful things Hugh has brought into our lives, 2014 was really just a giant steaming pile of crap. There are a lot of things going on in our lives that we don't advertise to others. They made a wonderful crescendo right around Christmas that almost gave both of us a nervous breakdown. As I said, we don't really advertise these things but I will share this with you. After 9 months of being pregnant, a scary cesarean birth, and the recovering there of, my poor wife was ready to be back to normal. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
See, the universe hates us and seems to take every opportunity to get our hopes up long enough to throw a fresh load of crap our way. As my wife was healing up, we had the wonderful fibroid to contend with still. It basically comes down to a hysterectomy. That seems simple enough. Remember how much the universe hates us? The fibroid is located in a place that makes it super easy for the surgeon to cut the line running from her kidneys to her bladder (it is called a ureter for those who really need to know). Apparently that would be bad to cut. But, good news, there is a series of shots they give that will shrink the fibroid so they can remove it easier. So, for 3 months, my wife was taking the shot. Side effects include softening of bones by way of ripping the calcium from your bones. Also, you get a serious case of brain fog.
So, now we are basically back to what it was like being pregnant except for the not being able to get out of bed or walk part. Wait a minute. Guess who developed a pain in her leg that made her unable to walk fast at all. So much so that old people in walkers go zipping past shaking their fists at the slow poke? And, who do you think was now unable to get out of bed in less than five minutes? Guess who also couldn't get on the floor and play with her son, carry anything, or do anything without someone there to help in case she attempted it and couldn't after all? Imagine that you are going through this and your doctor tells you it sounds like sciatica and that is it. Imagine that they send you to a different doctor who tells you that it sounds like sciatica and you should get that checked by someone else. Further imagine that you tried one more doctor and they did absolutely nothing just like the others? Pretty horrible when considering that this pain has lasted for several months. Now imagine the relief that you would get from going to an urgent care place and for the first time, someone actually took the time to X-ray the area and try steroids to loosen up the muscles and such. This is why we cannot recommend that wonderful place we went to for prenatal care. They basically write you off once you have the baby.
On top of this, there is still the matter of the fibroid. The doctor felt around to estimate the size of the fibroid and declared it had shrunk by 60%. Hurray! Finally something good. This makes the hysterectomy so much easier and shortens the recovery time by weeks. Except that when they did an ultrasound, the fibroid barely shrunk at all. That means we are back to a 6 week recovery time. This also means that someone will have to sit out for an entire term of school. This also means 3 months of drastically reduced income. And this is just a small portion of things that have gone wrong this year. Truth be told, I have start many many posts but never finished them or deleted them because they were nothing more than a hate filled rant brought on by frustration. So, let us move on to the new year and the wonderful things it will bring to us.
A POSITIVE YEAR TO COME
Now, with all that went wrong last year one can only hope that we have credit for nothing but good this year. We have appointments with a new doctor and a chiropractor (insurance does not pay for this but we won't let that get us down) so hopefully my wife can get her leg fixed as well as a second opinion on the fibroid. I am going to count these as positive. Also, Senior Huberto is getting older. This means we can do things like creative family Halloween costumes, awesome family pictures, and fun stuff like that. We should be seeing some teeth very soon. We get to have his first birthday in the summer. He will be crawling any day now. That leads to walking and talking. It also leads to mommy and daddy becoming more active and losing some of the weight they plan to get rid of.
So, there you have it. A review of a year that was nothing but ups and downs. We survived and we got a pretty awesome kid out of the deal. I would say I can't complain but I can. I will however, try not to.
Thank you for following along this adventure with me. I hope for many years more of blogging about this sweet little guy. Happy New year to all, and to all a good night.
Now, with all that went wrong last year one can only hope that we have credit for nothing but good this year. We have appointments with a new doctor and a chiropractor (insurance does not pay for this but we won't let that get us down) so hopefully my wife can get her leg fixed as well as a second opinion on the fibroid. I am going to count these as positive. Also, Senior Huberto is getting older. This means we can do things like creative family Halloween costumes, awesome family pictures, and fun stuff like that. We should be seeing some teeth very soon. We get to have his first birthday in the summer. He will be crawling any day now. That leads to walking and talking. It also leads to mommy and daddy becoming more active and losing some of the weight they plan to get rid of.
So, there you have it. A review of a year that was nothing but ups and downs. We survived and we got a pretty awesome kid out of the deal. I would say I can't complain but I can. I will however, try not to.
Thank you for following along this adventure with me. I hope for many years more of blogging about this sweet little guy. Happy New year to all, and to all a good night.