Jessica Kelso

This morning I found a smelly dead fish that hopped right out of the tank. I was wondering why our house smelled like dead fish. Hmmm…

Thrasher woke up at 5:30am. Then he decided to take a long nap after I already had a huge cup of coffee and couldn’t go back to sleep.

Our good friends, Matthew and Meghan, are having their baby girl today!

I got a $300 speeding ticket last week on the same day we had friends throw us a baby shower. It made everything better.

In the past 2 weeks, I’ve had at least 5-10 complete strangers in my house judging and watching the way I parent.

Have I mentioned I’m a new parent and still have no idea what I’m doing?

We’ve been trying to get pregnant for 15 months now, in which time almost all of our friends have had babies and/or gotten pregnant.

Today I woke up wishing I could see the bigger picture, then I saw this sweet baby boy.

I totally get now why mom’s cut their hair short after the baby is a couple months old. T likes to rip all of mine out.

I made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast this morning. What else is there to do at 6am?

I just realized I haven’t posted pictures of our nursery yet. Then I remembered it’s because I still need 3 more things before it’s “done”.

Friday morning I have to drive Thrasher to Tampa to get a procedure done and won’t be able to feed him before. In other words, if you’re planning on being at TGH on Friday morning, you might want to reschedule due to a screaming baby.

I’ve yet to figure out this whole “you nap when they nap” thing. If I do that, how will stuff ever get done?

So far, the “foster” part has been harder than the “parent” part.

Pumpkin lattes make everything better, except my stomach. They make that worse.

Thursday night we had our “Rite Of Passage Into Parenthood Ceremony”, AKA a foster baby shower! Although I’m pretty sure the first night of no sleep was our real ceremony, it was still a good time! We got to celebrate the beginning of this whole new chapter in our lives and it was absolutely the most perfect thing ever. It was held at Chuck-E-Cheese and we survived so apparently we are official parents now! We got an overwhelming amount of gift cards to help us purchase rest of the things we need. We also realized how awesome our friends are. We’re so thankful for every single one of them!

Thrasher was really good and enjoyed being around all the people. He seems to be happiest surrounded by a lot of people which is good and bad at the same time. I love taking him out and about, but he gets bored and fussy at home when it’s just me and him. We’ve also been having some issues with him getting up every 3-4 hours at night crying, and we haven’t been able to figure out why. He’s fed, clean diaper, not sick anymore. . . I think he just wants us to hold him. We have basically tended to his every call for the past 2 weeks but we are starting to think we may need to let him cry a little. Last night he woke up 1 hour after we put him to bed, and I knew he was fine so we decided to let him cry it out and see if he would fall back asleep. It was gut-wrenching but after about 40 minutes, he was sound asleep and he actually slept through the night. That’s only happened 2 or 3 times before and it is absolutely glorious. We feel so refreshed and awake when we’re actually able to get a decent stretch of sleep. I hosted a baby shower at our house today, so I definitely needed the energy and I think he might have known it! He is such a sweet little guy so it makes it very difficult to not hold him all of the time!

Last night after dinner with some friends, we headed downtown to First Friday and had such a nice time walking around. The weather was perfect. There was a concert being held at Lake Mirror, so we sat across the lake and listened from a distance. We ran into a couple of friends, talked for a little while, and called it a night. That’s what I’ve come to love about Lakeland.  It feels like home to me in every possible way. Our friends, our community, our family. . . I just absolutely love it. I know there are places that have better restaurants, better weather, better downtowns, but those places just don’t have the same feel to me that Lakeland has. It is our home and I’m completely content here. It feels nice.

Little Thrasher,

I hope you don’t mind your new code name. I think it sounds tough, and you’re a pretty tough little man. You’ve come into our home and completely transformed our world as we once knew it. I have almost forgotten what it’s like to get a full night’s sleep and you’ve only been here a week. I know it’s probably scary being in a new place around completely new faces but I promise we love you. We already love you more than you will ever know. We are praying for your mommy, that she is able to get better and have you back because as much as we already love you. . . we know that is where you belong if at all possible. Your smiles and coo’s have the ability to bring me to tears. Knowing in those times you feel safe and loved makes me the happiest.

You came down with a cold and it makes me so sad for you. It’s hard for you to sleep or eat and I know those are your two favorite things. I have researched all day about what to do for your cold, so I hope all of my attempts start to work soon. Bath time has become my favorite part of the day, and I’m pretty sure it might be yours too. You can’t even sit up on your own yet, but you’re already gearing up to crawl and it’s the cutest thing in the world. I’ve already had several people say you look  just like me, and I smile and say thank you. Who needs to know all the tiny details? I hope you adjust to your new home soon, but no matter what we are going to be here for you every second of every day trying to make you the happiest little man around. That is my job and I will take it seriously, I promise.  We don’t know if you will leave next week, next month, or never. . . all we know is you will always have a huge place in our hearts.

I hope you never get sick of me kissing on your sweet chubby legs. I just can’t resist!

A lot has happened to our little family since my last post. We got the call for our first foster baby around 4:30 on Thursday, had him here with us by 7:00pm, and have been busy busy busy ever since! Unfortunately due to legal reasons, I won’t be able to post any pictures or give too many details about him (including his name) but I still plan on blogging as much as possible about our fun new life with a little baby. Things are still a little blurry right now seeing as how we’ve had very little sleep the past few nights, but I think we will adjust to things soon. He is a very happy and cuddly baby, I think it just might take a while for the little man to feel comfortable in his new surroundings.

Today we took him to church and lunch, and he was just a dream baby. He likes to be around people, and as long as he’s not hungry or too tired he will usually give you quite a few smiles and coo’s! It’s been fun having him in the house and we can’t stop hugging and kissing on the sweet little guy. It’s been hard trying to figure out a schedule and routine for him, but we’re not too worried about that right now. We’re going to focus all our energy on just loving on him as much as possible and slowly work him into things. I think that’s for the best.

This morning I woke up early to take a friend to the airport and decided on the way home I would return some curtains to Ikea. I bought them for the nursery hoping they weren’t too dark but once I hung them up, they just weren’t what I had in mind. I made sure to set the receipt aside with the curtains for a trip just like today. I made it to the airport, left the airport, and to Ikea with no problems. I easily get lost even if I know exactly where I’m going, since sometimes I just don’t pay enough attention. I really love going to Ikea so I was pretty set for it to be a great day. On the way, I decided to look at the receipt and make sure it was right and the curtains were on there. Turns out, it was the wrong receipt. Same day, same time, everything. I just managed to end up with somebody else’s receipt. I was planning on buying a book shelf and a couple of other things we have left to purchase for the nursery so I figured they could just give me store credit and all will be fine.

The lady listened to my story and let out a big sigh and said, “Sure. . . I can give you store credit but it’ll only be for the sale amount these curtains are on which is now $10″. So I paid $60 for curtains, they gave me the wrong receipt, and gave me a store credit of $20. She said there was no way for them to look up my credit card number and find the transaction. After walking the store and fuming over the $40 I’d just lost, I decided to ask for a manger to speak to. I don’t have the type of personality that likes confrontation. I usually run from it at any cost. I’m the type of person to always tip no matter how poor the service is, usually will eat my food no matter how messed up it is. . . just to not have to deal with it. Kevin has stepped in on my behalf quite a few times and gotten things straight and even that I hate. But here I was in this huge store, contemplating if I should spend money on the things I had planned to purchase after I feel like they just screwed me out of my money.

I was really hoping the manager would be able to save me from wanting to go on an Ikea strike. After little to no help, I finally decided to go ahead and make my purchase and never return. There were two lanes open, and both were self-checkout. Well with a $20 Ikea card, some cash I wanted to spend, and a card. . . that’s not exactly the lane I wanted to use. That in itself was a huge mess and having to find someone to help me get the bookshelf into my car was even more fun. On the drive back I had written a complaint e-mail in my head to get home and discover there was not a single person to contact at Ikea about a complaint. How convenient. After furnishing over half of my home at Ikea and never having one single problem, this makes me sad. They offered no apologies, not a single discount off anything I was purchasing, nada. I know it’s only $40 and that is nothing to get worked up over, I was just surprised by their lack of customer service. I guess I shouldn’t have been.

I want to say I will never go back, but that’s like saying I will never eat chocolate again. It sounds like a good idea now, but when everyone else is doing it. . . I might give in.

There is something about this nice fall weather that makes me want to stay in the kitchen all day and bake lots of goodies. I’ve stayed away because we’ve been trying to eat healthy and cut out snacks as much as possible, but it hasn’t been easy. That is going to be the hardest thing for me this holiday season. . . but I’m sure my waistline might thank me for it later. Or I’ll just end up eating everyone else’s goodies!

Today we met with our re-licensing counselor who will be coming to our home at least once a month. She seemed super sweet and very helpful which was a huge relief. Along with her, we will be having quite a few other people in and out of our house on a monthly basis and it’s kind of got me freaked out. I know why they need to be in and out and I’m really  happy to know that these foster children are being looked after by many different people, BUT if you know me well. . .  you know I’m a little over the top about having a clean and organized house.  Since I haven’t been working it’s gotten even worse. Keeping this house clean has pretty much been my job and I take great pride in that. I get the biggest smile on my face when a new person comes over and compliments how clean and nice our house is. That means I have done my job well. When I have a delicious dinner made, the house is clean, laundry baskets are empty, clothes are ironed, and Kevin comes home and tells me how amazing a wife I am and how much he appreciates all that I do, I once again know I’ve done my job. I mean, there are lots of days when only some or possibly none of those things get done and people may come over unexpectedly and I wish I could crawl into a hole and pretend this isn’t really my house. . .but Kevin is usually able to calm my nerves by saying the house still looks great. If there’s dishes in the sink, I mean even a cup (yes, I know real people use cups) it will make me uneasy. I’ve had people come over and compliment me and then say “Ohhh you just wait until you have kids!”, and I’ve always thought to myself. . . “You just wait, it will still be clean!”. So the thought of taking care of a baby along with constantly having to keep up with my OCD cleanliness scares the living daylights outta me. Maybe once I feel like I have an excuse for a slightly unorganized home ( don’t most mom’s have one?! ) then I will feel more relaxed about letting people in without everything in it’s place. I will never have a completely messy home though, I just don’t have it in me. Everyone has their thing, and I guess that one is mine.

Today was everything I wanted it to be, and just a tiny bit more. Usually on Sunday nights I wish time would stand still and it would never turn Monday. Sunday is most definitely my favorite day of the week and this past Sunday was no exception. We had a packed day full of fun yet I was still able to accomplish a lot around the house. Usually Mondays I wake up with zero motivation to do anything. . . so I end up spreading everything out through the week that needs to be done, but today was different. I woke up full of energy and excitement. I don’t know what it was, except maybe this desire to make sure everything is done before we get the call for a baby. I cleaned the entire house good. I mean real good. I had a healthy lunch made for Kevin when he got home. Ran a couple of errands, washed the car that was nasty from our mountain vacation, finished laundry, and tonight went for a run in the most perfect weather we’ve had here in a while. We also got a new car seat for free and they came to help us install it correctly. With having a whole class on car seat safety and having them here tonight, I feel very proud of how much I know concerning car seats. I think anyone who owns a car seat should take a class. There seems to be so much people don’t know that could be fatally damaging in a bad car accident.

Babies and car seats. Yah, yah. Have I mentioned that we are officially licensed foster parents?! We got the news the Friday before we left for vacation. So we are expecting a call any day now for a baby. It’s really happening and we are so excited! It’s amazing to think that in July we started out on this journey and just a few short months later, we’re about to fulfill this dream we have of helping children in need. The whole process from start to finish has gone so smooth and I can’t help but feel completely blessed. I heard quite a few horror stories in the beginning, and I’m very thankful none of those came true for us!

Last week we were able to go on a lovely vacation with my family to the mountains in North Georgia. Despite it raining 5 out of the 7 days we were there, we had a blast! We were able to pack a lot in while we were there. Horseback riding through the mountains, exploring and driving through the wilderness to find waterfalls, fishing for my first time as an adult (in which I discovered I will probably never do that again!), enjoying apple dumplings at Georgia’s famous Apple Festival, climbing to the tallest point in Georgia and being covered in a cloud (one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced!). We also had fun playing darts, pool, and poker along with relaxing in our cabin’s hot tub and hammock! This cabin had it all. Laying out on the hammock listening to the creek below and staring at the beautiful mountains almost brought me to tears a couple of times. It’s in those settings that I really seem to appreciate God’s work. It’s absolutely amazing and breathtaking and I’m so thankful for our time there. We tried to soak in every minute of it seeing as how it might be our last vacation for a little while!

After a long hot summer, we finally have our first day of relief. I know these first few cold fronts are just a huge tease that leave us wanting more so I’m loving today to the fullest. I’ve spent the morning making potato soup and cleaning the house thoroughly, with every window open soaking it all in. Tonight I’m planning to run the lake and I don’t think I have ever been so excited to exercise. I’m running another 5k this weekend and would love to work in the yard so I’m really hoping this weather sticks around for a couple more days. Picnics, sweaters, and boots. . . ahhhh, I can’t wait.

We’ve been pretty busy around here and I know we’re both ready for a much needed break soon. We’ll be leaving for the mountains in 10 days and we’ll have a whole week to enjoy ourselves. I’m thrilled about seeing the leaves change this fall because that’s definitely something we don’t get here in Florida. We’ve spent a lot of our time lately preparing the nursery for a BABY. That still seems crazy! The room has come together quickly and I’m completely in love with it. I think I could design nurseries for a living and be content. There is something so sweet about a baby’s room and I think it can make anyone happy in an instant. (Or is that just me?!) We have one more trip to Ikea, and a few things to purchase for the walls. . . then it should be picture worthy.

In preparation for me to be able to continue staying home when we become foster parents, we’ve had to figure out how to make things work financially. I’ve been receiving unemployment and should be getting that until at least December which has been a HUGE help with me still not working. It’s been 9 months now! Craziness. We’ve been learning how to be creative and find new ways to cut expenses. I never knew how much money we were just throwing away until we really sat down and looked at everything. We canceled the data service off of both our cell phones and have been saving a lot just not being able to use internet on our phone everywhere we might want it. We’re still able to use the internet anywhere there is wireless (including at home) and everything else on the phone still works exactly the same. It was amazing to find out how much money was going to waste just on our cell phones. With Kevin being the genius tech-guy that he is, we’ve also found ways of canceling our DVR service but still being able to record our favorite shows. After noticing how little television we actually watch, we’ve also decided to go ahead and cancel our cable. Most of the shows we like we are able to watch on Hulu or Netflix, and Kevin has all of that hooked up to our television. I’m glad we’re going ahead and making this decision now, because I’ve always said I don’t want to raise my children hooked to the TV. . . so it’s a pretty good start in that direction. All of this along with trying to be better about using coupons and just being more cautious where we spend our money. . . is hopefully going to make it possible for me to stay home and I’m very excited about that!

This past weekend was spent lakeside with good friends and it was soo nice to be able to relax and do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. Friday the weather was nice to us and we were able to soak up some sun and cruise around on the jet ski’s, but Saturday wasn’t so kind. We were still able to get out a little bit despite the rain but most of the day we were indoors. Sunday morning was nice, and rest of the day was pretty much a big tease. We were out on the jet ski’s when a storm came  in and we had to drive them back in the middle of it. For a good few minutes, I thought I might possibly die out there. I couldn’t see a thing, and was trying to stay behind Kevin and follow him but in the process I was hitting his waves and flying all over the place.  It was a scary ride for sure.

As much as I love spending summers at the beach, water parks, and lakes. . . I am all about some fall and winter. I mean, if I didn’t love my friends and family so much I would be out of here in a heartbeat. To witness a true change from summer to fall would absolutely put me over the edge.  Since that’s not happening anytime soon I have learned how to bring the fall to Florida. Fall to me is pumpkin scented candles, earth colors, a decaf pumpkin spice latte, cinnamon broomsticks, and lots of different color leaves.

I am not a person who enjoys clutter but decorating for the fall and winter season turns me into a totally different person. If I could, I’d probably have decorations every square inch of my house. Each year I spend just a little bit more on decorations, and I’m surprised by how much I’ve already been able to accumulate. After-thanksgiving sales have been good to me, although it’s really hard to buy things and put them away for almost an entire year. I’m finally learning though . . .  that by the time September hits I have lots of new decorations that I got for uber cheap. I’m always really proud of my bargain finds. I can’t wait to come home and show Kevin what kind of goodies I got and how they were 75% off, which is almost free. It’s a huge thrill for me!

So summer has officially ended in my book. Fall is here despite walking out my front door and breaking a sweat, not being able to open my windows, and still keeping the air conditioner at 73 degrees. I won’t be able to break out a jacket for at least another month but you better believe I’ll be baking up some pumpkin bread and making lots of soup!

There are certain places that just make me really happy. The Omni Resort is definitely one of those places. My parents stayed a couple of nights there so we made plans to go spend Labor Day with them by the pool. Unfortunately Kevin woke up feeling really sick and I woke up with a little bit of a sore throat. I didn’t feel bad enough to stay at home all day though, so I headed over and spent the day soaking up some sun. My mom said a couple of times, “I could get used to this!”. Laying in our tubes, we went round and round the lazy river. They had a huge slide that’s not pictured but it was amazing although my mom said it made her sick. She’s not one for water slides. After spending the day pool side we went back to the room and showered up for some dinner at a nice Italian restaurant which was absolutely delicious.

After dinner I headed home to take care of my poor, sick hubs. I felt bad for leaving him to fend for himself while he was sick (he’s kinda pathetic and cute when he’s sick) but I really think he needed a day to himself to do absolutely nothing. He worked so hard last weekend, helping a friend lay tile and setting up/tearing down at Access that I think it just took a toll on his body. Two days of rest and he seems to be doing better. Me on the other hand, I’ve got this massive headache and cold that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. We’re leaving tomorrow night after our class to go on a 3 day mini-vacation with our friends to their lake house. So I guess I’ll be getting by with the help of Mucinex and Tylenol! We’re really looking forward to this weekend and a little cold isn’t going to stop the fun.