Eric is so mad at the DMV. When he had the seizure the doctor told us that we should go to the DMV and surrender his driver's license. Otherwise it would be suspended. So we went in and they gave us the paperwork that he could fill out to get it back in 90 days. They told us it would cost $28 for an ID card in the interim and $4 for Eric to get his license back when the 90 wait was over. Eric decided he could live without an ID card for 3 months because he thought it was a ripoff to have to spend that kind of money.
So when 60 days was up we had Eric's neurologist sign off on the paperwork for the DMV and then we mailed it in and after another 30 days he went in to get his license. First, they charged him $14 rather than the $4 they originally told us and we were informed that when he goes back to get his CDL (because that was a 6 month wait) he will have to pay an additional $14! So Eric was pretty ticked about that. He said he never should have surrendered his license to begin with; that he should have just let them suspend it. But that's what we get for trying to do the right thing I guess.
Then a couple of days later we got this letter in the mail from the DMV stating that it is a TWO YEAR wait in order for Eric to get his CDL back rather than the 6 months stated in the DMV's manual that the neurologist printed from the DMV's website. The letter also stated that we could request a review of Eric's situation from a medical review board, but we had to submit a request in writing to them within 10 days of the date of the letter if we wanted to do that. Well, the letter was dated December 11th and we didn't even receive it until December 18th. So that gave us a very limited window of time in which to make a decision. I called the DMV and asked for an extension which they were either unwilling or unable to grant. So we went ahead and mailed a letter requesting a medical review. Upon consulting with Eric's neurologist, he advised that it would be worth our while to do that anyway.
So now we are waiting for them to get back to us with a date that this medical review board is to take place. I truly dislike the DMV... Eric and I discussed this, and we're quite certain that you cannot be hired at either the DMV or the Post Office unless your personality meets certain criteria - meaning you have to be a jerk!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Holiday Festivities
Well, tomorrow is New Year's Day and I have managed to survive the holiday season! In spite of some crazy weather, we were able to take part in four different Christmas celebrations this year. The first was at Eric's step-father's sister's home. It takes approximately 2 hours to get there & another 2 hours to drive home, so that was a lot of time for Tony to spend in the car in one day. But he slept most of the car ride and in general behaved himself fairly well that day. Most of the other kids that were there are several years older than him, and he enjoyed the attention he got from the "big kids". We had a lot of good food and overall the day went off without a hitch.
Then on Christmas Day we went to two different gatherings. The first was with Eric's mother's family at her home. I felt bad for her because I knew she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when she started freaking out over having forgotten to put the crescent rolls in the oven. Eric's cousin Oscar and I jumped in and took over that task for her in an effort to calm her down and keep the peace. I think she is alot like me in the respect that the overwhelming idea of hosting a party like that tends to stress her out. In any case, after the feast was over we relaxed and watched the kids open presents. Tony made out like a bandit! Eric's mom really spoils him since he is her only grandchild so far. Then we played the ornament exchange game. We do that at previous party that I mentioned as well, only this one was much more laid back. Fewer people play and it is far less competetive. I enjoyed it more than I do when we play at Eric's step-family's party.
Then on Christmas evening we went to Eric's step-sister's house. All of his step-siblings were there as well as their spouses, kids, and their mother. It was rather crowded and it was getting late so we didn't stay long. Eric's mom gave me a nativity scene (again) so I traded with Eric's step-niece for her snowman candle holder instead. Mindy really wanted a nativity and I already had one that I was given a couple of years ago, so it worked out well. We finally made it home and collapsed into bed. On the drive home though I got a call from my own mother. She wanted to let me know that she had spoken to my sister's ex-husband and wanted to make sure that it was okay that she had invited him to dinner at my house the following evening. I was fine with that. It turns out that he couldn't come anyway, but he is always cordial and I think it's nice that he brings my nieces and nephews over to visit occasionally. It sounds like he is winning the custody battle over the kids too. He told Mom that Laura physically attacked the child placement person, and now she is only allowed supervised visits with the kids. It is such a sad situation. I really think that my sister is having some mental issues and needs to get herself some help.
Friday, the 26th, Eric had to get up early and go to work. I asked him to take Tony to the sitter's that day so I could have some free time to cook and clean in preparation for my family to come over that evening. Everyone started showing up around 6:00 PM. Lisa called and said she and Frank both woke up with the flu so they would not be able to make it. But we still had plenty of people. Mom & Griff, Dane & Sue, Pat & Margaret, Tom & Holly, and Eric's dad were all still able to come over in spite of the awful fog that enveloped the landscape that night. Dane prepared an excellent ham that he brought with, Tom made deviled eggs, Holly made spinich and chipped beef dips, and Mom brought scalloped corn and a cheese tray. Then we had green bean casserole, potatoes & gravy, stuffing, baked beans, and home-made apple pie to go with that. It was a wonderful meal with good company! I probably gained 10 lbs. from eating so much that week. :)
So now I can relax a bit. I just have to decide what Eric and I should do for New Year's Eve tonight. We have a sitter for Tony; Holly's daughter is going to watch him for us. But we still have to figure out where we want to go or what we want to do. I think we should go out to dinner or something, but we'll see when I get home from work. :)
Then on Christmas Day we went to two different gatherings. The first was with Eric's mother's family at her home. I felt bad for her because I knew she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when she started freaking out over having forgotten to put the crescent rolls in the oven. Eric's cousin Oscar and I jumped in and took over that task for her in an effort to calm her down and keep the peace. I think she is alot like me in the respect that the overwhelming idea of hosting a party like that tends to stress her out. In any case, after the feast was over we relaxed and watched the kids open presents. Tony made out like a bandit! Eric's mom really spoils him since he is her only grandchild so far. Then we played the ornament exchange game. We do that at previous party that I mentioned as well, only this one was much more laid back. Fewer people play and it is far less competetive. I enjoyed it more than I do when we play at Eric's step-family's party.
Then on Christmas evening we went to Eric's step-sister's house. All of his step-siblings were there as well as their spouses, kids, and their mother. It was rather crowded and it was getting late so we didn't stay long. Eric's mom gave me a nativity scene (again) so I traded with Eric's step-niece for her snowman candle holder instead. Mindy really wanted a nativity and I already had one that I was given a couple of years ago, so it worked out well. We finally made it home and collapsed into bed. On the drive home though I got a call from my own mother. She wanted to let me know that she had spoken to my sister's ex-husband and wanted to make sure that it was okay that she had invited him to dinner at my house the following evening. I was fine with that. It turns out that he couldn't come anyway, but he is always cordial and I think it's nice that he brings my nieces and nephews over to visit occasionally. It sounds like he is winning the custody battle over the kids too. He told Mom that Laura physically attacked the child placement person, and now she is only allowed supervised visits with the kids. It is such a sad situation. I really think that my sister is having some mental issues and needs to get herself some help.
Friday, the 26th, Eric had to get up early and go to work. I asked him to take Tony to the sitter's that day so I could have some free time to cook and clean in preparation for my family to come over that evening. Everyone started showing up around 6:00 PM. Lisa called and said she and Frank both woke up with the flu so they would not be able to make it. But we still had plenty of people. Mom & Griff, Dane & Sue, Pat & Margaret, Tom & Holly, and Eric's dad were all still able to come over in spite of the awful fog that enveloped the landscape that night. Dane prepared an excellent ham that he brought with, Tom made deviled eggs, Holly made spinich and chipped beef dips, and Mom brought scalloped corn and a cheese tray. Then we had green bean casserole, potatoes & gravy, stuffing, baked beans, and home-made apple pie to go with that. It was a wonderful meal with good company! I probably gained 10 lbs. from eating so much that week. :)
So now I can relax a bit. I just have to decide what Eric and I should do for New Year's Eve tonight. We have a sitter for Tony; Holly's daughter is going to watch him for us. But we still have to figure out where we want to go or what we want to do. I think we should go out to dinner or something, but we'll see when I get home from work. :)
Monday, December 15, 2008
It's Always Something...
Well our 90 day wait was up yesterday, and other than the typical winter cold Eric has been fine. So he is headed to the DMV today to see if they have processed the paperwork to give him his drivers license back. Yay!
Mom was last in for a chemotherapy treatment the day before Thanksgiving. Her CT scan showed that the cancer is indeed shrinking - excellent news! However her blood cell count was lower than the doctor would have liked. He gave her the choice of taking a reduced treatment that day or putting it off an additional week. Mom didn't want to put it off because if she did then her next treatment would be pushed back a week also making it for the day before Christmas. Therefore she opted for the reduced treatment. She is going to have another treatment this Wednesday, December 17th and then she will have a break from them for a while. The doctor explained that while the chemo attacks the cancer it also attacks the rest of her body as well, and she needs to give herself a break and rebuild her immune system before continuing with treatments.
Lisa and Frank came down for Thanksgiving and stayed with Mom until Saturday afternoon. Eric and I were at his aunt's house on Thanksgiving Day, but I spent the day at Mom's visiting with everyone on the Friday after. I think it was a much more pleasant way to spend the day than battling crowds for all the deals at the stores that day! My brother Dane got busted by the game warden for shooting a buck without a buck tag. That was plenty of excitement for the day. Luckily for him they let him off easy. Only a $250 fine. They even let him keep his hunting license! They did, however, confiscate his trophy 10 point buck that he had already gutted. :( But Lisa made sure to take a picture of it as the DNR was driving away with it in the back of their pickup truck! The one that got away...
I ended up leaving work early on a Friday a couple of weeks ago. My ex-brother-in-law called me on my cell phone to tell me that my nephew, Charles, had apparently been hit by a truck while riding his bicycle to school at U-Rock. He asked if I could possibly go be with him in the emergency room. Of course I dropped everything and went right over there. It turns out that Charles was not actually hit by a truck, but rather ran into the side of a van or truck. Apparently he was riding his bike down a steep hill (on the sidewalk) and the truck pulled up in front of him at a stoplight. Charles tried to stop but the brakes failed on his bike and he ran smack into the side of the truck! He ended up with a few stitches and staples on either side of his face near his temples and he broke 3 bones in his face as well - both of his cheek bones and his upper jaw. The plastic surgeon looked at him and it seems that although the bones were broken, they were not displaced. So he did not need surgery. Yay! He also had some bruises on his lungs. He stayed in the hospital for a couple of days, but he was doing really well so they sent him home on Sunday afternoon. He tells me that he is doing just fine now and is back to work and school like normal.
Eric and I went to my ultrasound appointment on November 13th and it seems obvious from the pictures that Baby Paul is a girl! My little princess weighed approximately 14 ounces and was in the 75th percentile for her age. Her heartrate was 146 beats per minute and she looked completely healthy. It seems that she is a good sized little munchkin just like her brother was, so perhaps she will decide to join us a bit earlier than her due date of March 27th. Only time will tell! Now I am faced with the dilemma of finding a name that both Eric and I can agree on. We did decide to keep it a secret until she arrives in case we change our mind. That way something will be left as a surprise for everyone that was so disappointed in us for 'cheating' and finding out the gender in advance. :)
I'm sure I will have plenty of more news to share after the holidays. Until then, Merry Christmas to All!
Mom was last in for a chemotherapy treatment the day before Thanksgiving. Her CT scan showed that the cancer is indeed shrinking - excellent news! However her blood cell count was lower than the doctor would have liked. He gave her the choice of taking a reduced treatment that day or putting it off an additional week. Mom didn't want to put it off because if she did then her next treatment would be pushed back a week also making it for the day before Christmas. Therefore she opted for the reduced treatment. She is going to have another treatment this Wednesday, December 17th and then she will have a break from them for a while. The doctor explained that while the chemo attacks the cancer it also attacks the rest of her body as well, and she needs to give herself a break and rebuild her immune system before continuing with treatments.
Lisa and Frank came down for Thanksgiving and stayed with Mom until Saturday afternoon. Eric and I were at his aunt's house on Thanksgiving Day, but I spent the day at Mom's visiting with everyone on the Friday after. I think it was a much more pleasant way to spend the day than battling crowds for all the deals at the stores that day! My brother Dane got busted by the game warden for shooting a buck without a buck tag. That was plenty of excitement for the day. Luckily for him they let him off easy. Only a $250 fine. They even let him keep his hunting license! They did, however, confiscate his trophy 10 point buck that he had already gutted. :( But Lisa made sure to take a picture of it as the DNR was driving away with it in the back of their pickup truck! The one that got away...
I ended up leaving work early on a Friday a couple of weeks ago. My ex-brother-in-law called me on my cell phone to tell me that my nephew, Charles, had apparently been hit by a truck while riding his bicycle to school at U-Rock. He asked if I could possibly go be with him in the emergency room. Of course I dropped everything and went right over there. It turns out that Charles was not actually hit by a truck, but rather ran into the side of a van or truck. Apparently he was riding his bike down a steep hill (on the sidewalk) and the truck pulled up in front of him at a stoplight. Charles tried to stop but the brakes failed on his bike and he ran smack into the side of the truck! He ended up with a few stitches and staples on either side of his face near his temples and he broke 3 bones in his face as well - both of his cheek bones and his upper jaw. The plastic surgeon looked at him and it seems that although the bones were broken, they were not displaced. So he did not need surgery. Yay! He also had some bruises on his lungs. He stayed in the hospital for a couple of days, but he was doing really well so they sent him home on Sunday afternoon. He tells me that he is doing just fine now and is back to work and school like normal.
Eric and I went to my ultrasound appointment on November 13th and it seems obvious from the pictures that Baby Paul is a girl! My little princess weighed approximately 14 ounces and was in the 75th percentile for her age. Her heartrate was 146 beats per minute and she looked completely healthy. It seems that she is a good sized little munchkin just like her brother was, so perhaps she will decide to join us a bit earlier than her due date of March 27th. Only time will tell! Now I am faced with the dilemma of finding a name that both Eric and I can agree on. We did decide to keep it a secret until she arrives in case we change our mind. That way something will be left as a surprise for everyone that was so disappointed in us for 'cheating' and finding out the gender in advance. :)
I'm sure I will have plenty of more news to share after the holidays. Until then, Merry Christmas to All!
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