It's Been Awhile...

Well, needless to say I forgot about my blog for a while there. I just looked and can't believe the last time I wrote was May. We've been in the house for almost a year now and while we still have a ways to go in terms of redecorating and redoing rooms, it's really coming along nice and it finally feels like home. My family is coming to visit in a few weeks and will see the house for the first time so I've been working hard to get it in tip top shape for them! I hope they love it! At least this time everyone will have a separate room to sleep in and not on an air mattress on the floor like in the apartment! :)

But I guess the biggest development over the last few months has been Allies medical issues. We know she had asthma and allergies because we got the diagnosis last year around this time. She started on a nebulizer and some allergy meds daily and it really did help. She got Pneumonia around Easter and of course the bi-weekly ear infections that we finally have under control, but the asthma was definitely improving. But this winter has been tough. The day after Christmas we took her to the ER because we noticed she was extremely short of breath and we wanted to be sure. Thank God we took her in and didn't just wait it out. Her oxygen was severely low and her lungs were awful. We thought some time in the hospital getting some treatments and hydrated would help but after a few hours the nurse told us she would have to be transported to MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) to stay in their Pediatric ICU for a couple days because the local hospital was not equipped for how severe her case was. Cue massive panic attack and tears! The doctor also told us she had RSV and with how bad her asthma was, she absolutely had to stay in the hospital because she was so sick. So we took the 2 hour ambulance ride to Charleston to go to MUSC and spent two days there. Things got better and seemed back on track but two weeks later we were back at the ER for the same thing. She was admitted to Grand Strand Hospital this time and stayed another two days for the low oxygen level and her asthma being so bad. They thought she had punctured a lung because of how bad she sounded but thankfully it wasn't. After we were discharged from the hospital she got on some new asthma meds, and is getting her nebulizer treatments 3-4 times a day. It's a lot on her, but it's definitely helping. And we are going back to MUSC in a few weeks to see their Pediatric Pulmonologist for a long term plan. Luckily, her daycare does her treatments with her and is well aware of her limitations so I know she's being looked after there. The hardest part is knowing she wants to run and when we let her, a few minutes later she has to stop and take it easy because the cough comes on hard and fast. She's going to be 3 in a few weeks and not being able to let her run like a maniac stinks! I know things could be so much worse but it's hard to see your child suffer and constantly need nebulizer treatments and an inhaler. But she's grown so used to it she does them like a champ! We signed her up for gymnastics at daycare too so she will do that one hour a week on Tuesday. It will help her get some energy out and the best part is I don't have to worry about my work schedule and getting her to and from class!


I know this wasn't the most exciting post but hopefully in a few years I will look back at this and go "Wow, things were tough then, thank goodness her asthma has gotten better!" and we will be moving forward. And maybe have a new addition to the family!

One Year Later

On June 12th it will be one year since I left MA and came to SC.

 I left my job that I loved at BSU, my family, and my friends. Basically everything I had ever known was in MA but Bill and I gave it up to come down here so he could have his dream job as a cop and we could start a life for ourselves by buying a house and saving some money which we would have never been able to do in MA no matter how hard we tried.

When we first got down here, I was fine, I was happy in our apartment, and although times were hard since we were paying rent for the first time and I wasn't working, we got by because we had savings and I just played with Allie in the apartment or at the pool to save money. But as the months went on and people couldn't come visit us as often, I started to doubt things A LOT. I felt like we had made a huge mistake. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The mess with the babysitter kidnapping my baby, Allie was sick all the time, and our finances seemed to be a mess. I honestly felt that the best thing to do was pack up what I could, take Allie, and go back to MA to stay with my parents. And being the wonderful man he is, Bill told me if that was what I wanted, he would leave his job and come back with us, because we are more important to him than anything. But I couldn't do it, my pride was too high, and I couldn't do that to the man I love.

And thank God I didn't.

After I got the job at Aeropostale and got settled and Bill finished the Police Academy, times were still hard. I had a lot of resentment towards Bill for taking me from my family and bringing me down here. I was angry all the time and just wanted to go home. It sucked, but then something happened. I started going back to therapy to talk to someone and she made it clear. I made the choice to be here, I have the option of choosing my own happiness. If I didn't like Allies daycare, find a new one. If I was upset she was getting sick so much, consult a new doctor. If I wasn't happy in the apartment, find a new place to live. And she was right. I guess I just needed to hear it straight out, no sugar coating, and suck it up. And that's what I did. We found a different doctor and got the asthma/allergies diagnosis for Allie. And since her treatments began, yes, she's been sick a few times, but she's 2 and that's what happens. We worked on our finances and have somehow paid off a credit card, paid off a car, and gotten back on track.  We still have our school loans that we will have for years and years, and a pretty large credit card bill, but I guess if debt is the American way, then we are living the American dream! And with time, we will pay that down, and who knows, maybe this time next year I will be writing that we are doing even better.

I guess the biggest thing obviously, has been that we were able to buy a house. And a beautiful one at that. We didn't have a big wedding 4 years ago like most people, we took all that money and put it in the bank and added to it. And because of that we were able to get a beautiful home to expand and raise our family in. And that is something I know we wouldn't have been able to do in MA with the housing market. Allie is thriving and Bill and I are very happy at our jobs. We may not see each other much, but we work damn hard to provide for Allie and pay our bills, and each month we do, which I am so grateful for. I am growing to LOVE it down here, and I feel like I am home. I do miss my family and friends terribly, but that's really all I miss now. The resentment is gone and I am so blessed God paved the way for this move and for all the amazing things and struggles that have happened this past year. I have friends now and because we are smart, we will be able to continue saving and hopefully expand our family soon. I've always believed "everything happens for a reason", and in this case, I know that to be true. :)

It's Been Awhile...

Well it's been a while since I've last posted, almost 2 months I think so a lot has gone on, we went on our vacation back home to MA and had Allies 2nd Birthday, we found out that my sister-in-law Sarah and my brother Erik are expecting a baby boy, and the biggest news, we put an offer in on a beautiful home and it was accepted! We are so excited and hopefully my next post will include photos of our new home. But before I get into that, here's the low down on what's been going on...

1. Our trip home to MA was wonderful and far too short. We only got to stay for 6 days because of work schedules and airline prices but the time we spent there was wonderful and we got to see a lot of old friends and family members because of Allies party. It of course snowed half the time we were there and I didn't believe it before but I think living here has actually made me a wimp to the cold because I was freezing most of the time we were up there! I couldn't wait to get back to the nice weather, and I used to love the snow! But we were able to see a lot of friends and on the Saturday before we left we had Allies Birthday party and so many people came to see us which meant so much to us. Allie got so many presents that we had to check another suitcase just full of gifts so we could get them all home. The best part of being home though was watching Allie play with her cousin Ava. Allie was so excited to see her from the minute we got there and they played like they saw each other all the time. Allie even woke up from a nap one day and asked for "her sister Ava". Allie didn't care too much for Baby Owen but now that were back in SC she wants to see pictures and videos of him all the time of course. I can't wait until we go home again in September to see how she gets along with Owen and so she can play with Ava again. Hopefully by that time we will be close to preparing to try for baby #2 so I'm hoping Allie doesn't go over and hit Owen or anything. :)

2. Another nephew is on the way for Bill and I. Sarah and Erik found out they are expecting a son so sometime in early September we will welcome another addition to the family. Erik and Sarah are going to be moving to upstate NY in a few weeks because that's where Erik is being stationed with the Army. It is going to be hard on my mom to have two of her grandkids so far away from her but if she would get on the technological bandwagon and get Skype (hint hint mom!), she would be able to see us much more!

3. BIG NEWS! Bill and I had been looking at houses for a few months but didn't really see anything we loved, so of course right when I suggest we take a break from it and maybe renew our lease at the apartment for a year and try to save some more money, another house that we love falls into our laps that we both adore and want to raise Allie in. It's a beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home that also has an in-law apartment on the bottom floor. So, the plan is that Bills parents will move in with us in a year or so and we will be able to take Allie out of daycare (WOOT!) and have his mom watch her full time and then we can have another baby and also have some help and family near us. The house is very large by SC standards and given we've only lived in apartments it is going to take some time for us to fill all the rooms and be able to afford new furniture but after all the moving I've done, I told Bill I am not moving again unless it is because I'm dead! So we have plenty of time to furnish and decorate a home and there is no rush, we are finally digging out of debt and getting on track and I am not going back!! Haha. The first few offers we made on the house we rejected so we decided to make one last ditch effort and miraculously it was accepted. I didnt think it would be because the bank said they were not going down on the price but alas, they did. It was  after I had gotten in the mind set that if we didn't get the house it was fine and one would come along when it was meant too so when it was accepted I was shocked. We plan to close on May 15th so in only a few weeks we will hopefully be homeowners and be able to raise Allie and our pup Dexter in a beautiful home where they will have plenty of room to bother each other!

A new nephew for me! (Plus another baby on the way!)

But it's not me who's pregnant so don't get the wrong idea! My sister-in-law Sarah and my brother are also expecting a baby and are due in September. I can't wait to find out what they are having so I can start shopping. Haha. So many babies in the family now, my mom has had a grandchild in 2009, 2010, and two in 2012. And I'm sure by the time Sarah has her baby, Bill and I won't be far behind with #2! But anyway, my sister did have her baby and Owen Patrick weighed in at a hefty 10 lbs 4 ounces and 18 inches long. He was very healthy and although Court had to spend some time in the hospital after the birth she is now home and the family is together. I can't wait to go home on vacation in 11 days(!!) so I can finally meet my nephew and of course see my Ava Grace. Allie and I have been Skyping with her and Court at night and Allie talks about Ava all the time. She picks up her toy phone and just "talks" to Ava in her room for minutes at a time, it's adorable. They both seem excited to see each other but we will see if they actually care about each other when they're finally together! We are also having Allies second Birthday party while we are home so we can see all our family and friends. I can't wait and hope everyone can make it because then we will be able to see as many people as possible! The theme for her party is farm animals and I made the invitations on Etsy.com and they came out amazing. If you're a mom or enjoy crafts check this site out! It is amazing. The only other news for us is that Dexter finally got his cast off his leg after having it on for 4 weeks. The poor guy is still limping as his leg regains its strength but he is hanging tough and doing things he should not be doing (jumping off the couch which is giving me heart attacks!) We are all doing great and now that Allie has been diagnosed with having allergies and asthma she is doing better since we started treatments for both. She is taking Zyrtec each night and it's helping tremendously. Her nose has finally stopped running and she only sneezes a couple times a day like a normal person! And the nebulizer treatments have almost eliminated her cough and her wheezing. It's really a miracle that we finally found a resolution and she can go to daycare each day and I'm not worrying if she will be OK or I will get a call that she is sick.  I think now that we got rid of the congestion in her nose and throat her ear infections will get better too since the congestion was backing up into her ears since we could never get rid of it. ::Fingers crossed:: I am truly blessed to have her and I will do anything to make sure she is healthy. Thankfully, I have Bill to keep me sane and level about these things, I don't know how he's put up with me for almost 7 years but thank goodness he has!

Christmas and a New Puppy!

I can't believe another Christmas has come and gone! But alas, it has and in a few days 2011 will be over and 2012 will arrive and I couldn't be more excited. 2011 was quite the year. We've been living in SC for 6 months now and I have to admit, it's been hard at times. I have questioned more than once if this was the best move for us, especially lately since I have missed my family and friends so much with the holidays and we're just not where I wish we were financially. But I know we WILL get back on track eventually, and hopefully with tax season coming, we will get something back and can pay down some debt and maybe treat ourselves a little bit. :) But other than that, the move down here has had a lot of positives. Its December 27, and we have the sliding door open because it's still so beautiful out and it's been 70's everyday for the past few weeks. Definitely a lot nicer than shoveling snow! Work is going great for Bill and I and we have a great sitter (a couple now!) for Allie so the anxiety of always worrying if she would be cared for while we're at work is lessening. Now that the holidays are over my work schedule won't be so crazy and I can focus more on making myself happy and doing the best that I can for my family. And in order to do that, we adopted a puppy! His name is Dexter and he is a yellow lab/terrier mix which is my ideal dog. I've always wanted a Yellow Labrador and a dog that had some "scruff" to him. Dexter is a perfect combo of that. House training is going a little rocky but I am really working with him and hopefully he will catch on. He's not even 8 weeks old yet so he's still young and is adjusting well. Allie was a little tentative of him at first but she knows how to handle him now and has no problem telling him "NO!" when he's bothering her. Puppies are certainly a lot of work, but when he cuddles with me at night, it's worth it. It's definitely like having another child but I'm glad he will be a big dog and will grow up with Allie and be her protector. And we were able to give Allie a great Christmas which as a mom, is a great feeling. I know she won't remember it but to see her face light up when she opened her gifts was the best thing I could have asked for. Her bedroom looks like Toys R Us blew up in there and watching her play is so funny. I wish my parents and sister could be here to see her grow and play but we will see them in March when we go home to see Court and baby boy Denton (his name changes so often I will not call him anything else until he's born!) I can't wait to go home and see everyone. We hope to have Allies second Birthday party while we're there and see all our friends and family so hopefully that will pan out. I can't believe my baby girl is almost 2! Where did the time go?! But anyway, I know this blog had a lot of thoughts but I hadn't written in a while and other than work and just the day to day mom stuff, my life doesn't change a whole lot. But we're really settling in down here in SC, we are thinking of buying a house so hopefully I will have positive updates on that soon! Happy New Year all, I hope God blesses you all and gives you all you are hoping for in this coming year.

One Big Happy Family!

Two weeks have passed since Bill's graduation from the police academy and things are going great. A few days before the graduation we had quite the scare with Allie involving her new babysitter but since it involved the police and charges were brought against her, I can't really talk about it on here, but thankfully, Allie is safe and was fine through it all and we have found her a new sitter already. The new sitter lives next door to us so she's right in our complex and she has a TON of experience watching kids. She's worked in a bunch of daycares, has all her certifications, and I knew her from being at the pool all summer and have seen her first hand with kids. Allie really likes her and did great with her last weekend so I'm much happier. And, with Bill being home we only need her 4 or 5 times a month which is much less than I thought it would be when I initially sought out to find a sitter. I thought with our schedules being so scattered we'd need someone all the time in addition to daycare but our schedules mesh well and we're still with Allie a ton. She's doing well at her new daycare and is adjusting more each day. Her teacher said she's starting to "shine" and she's so smart! She actually said Allie seems to color beyond her years and is extremely smart. I know she's only 20 months and that's not a huge deal, but it definitely made me feel like a proud mama! She even told a little boy the other day to clean up his toys during clean up time! Haha. She's just too much sometimes. She's been sick the past few weeks with a double ear infection and she had a stomach bug yesterday but I guess that is to be expected where she's at a new daycare and exposed to a lot more germs. I just hope she builds up a resistance soon or otherwise it's going to be a long winter...

But in other news, having Bill home has been great. He's doing great at work and is really enjoying his job. It's wonderful having him home each night and at the end of the day when he comes home to us just makes things so much easier. Allie loves having her daddy home and they're so cute together. They color together all the time and do arts 'n crafts. Bills also been very helpful around the house and as he puts it, he has to "make up for being gone for 12 weeks". He definitely did his share while he was gone but it's nice that he's helping me out! I also really am enjoying my job and am glad it's coming into the holiday season so we will be nice and busy. The hours are tough because I start doing 10 hour days so I'm working 50 hours a week but the paycheck will be nice because even though I'm on salary, I get some overtime which I have never had before. We could definitely use the money too. We're doing better financially, all our bills are paid each month, but it's certainly going to take a while to get out debt. But such is the American way I suppose right?! We're just lucky that Bill and I are disciplined enough to only get what we need so we are able to pay off what we can and live comfortably. But I know money doesn't buy happiness and I'd rather have Allie and Bill than money.

The last bit of big news that's happened is my brother, Erik, left for the Army this past Monday and started basic training! We are all so proud of him and I can't wait to start sending him letters and cards for encouragement. He is actually at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC so they will get to him quick! And we just found out a few days ago that last Thursday, him and his girlfriend Sarah got married! I was pretty shocked when he told me but I'm very happy for them. Sarah's a great girl and it makes me so happy to see my brother with a great girl who makes him happy. I know they're young and the time apart with him in basic is going to be hard, but I have all the faith in the world that they will make it and come out of this stronger.

Nine Days and a Nephew!

A lot has been going on in the Dietzel household in the last few weeks, and as hard as things were before for us, things are definitely 100% better and looking up every day. Allie started at her new daycare yesterday and with her new sitter and she did wonderful! I was so nervous for her and now that she's doing so well, I'm not sure why! She interacted and socialized with the kids, and didn't cry for me at all. The sitter picked her up and she came home and had dinner and went to bed for her no problem. It was such a huge sigh of relief and burden off my shoulders. Obviously, I would love to be home with her but that's not financially feasible right now, so daycare is what we have to do so we can provide for her. Allie also turned 19 months the other day and she is getting bigger and smarter every day! I remember when she was about 10 months old and starting to toddle and pull herself up and I would just lay in bed and wish she was tiny again because I missed nursing her and having that closeness. But at the same time I didn't want her to grow up because she was so much fun with all her smiles and giggles. Now another 9 months have passed and I am doing the same thing. Every little thing she does makes me laugh. She repeats everything and uses some phrases at the most perfect times. She loves to dance and read and I think I could sit and watch her do that for hours. She is just the most perfect little girl and I swear I fall more in love with her every day. But, before I start to cry because she's growing so fast, onto other things...
Bill has only 9 days left in the Police Academy! The 12 weeks of torture are almost over and I won't have to say goodbye to him on Sundays anymore and watch Allies face as he drives away. Next Friday is his graduation up in Columbia SC and it's in the morning so we will head up early and come back in the afternoon and have the weekend off together. It will be so wonderful to not have to do his laundry, spend a few hours together because of my work schedule, and then have him go again. Since we've moved down here, it hasn't been just the 3 of us in the apartment for more than a couple days. We've had visitors and people staying with us pretty steadily for the last 3 months. When my friends left the other day and it was just Allie and I, it felt really weird, but in a good way. We're getting into a good routine of daycare and work and that is what we need to really start our life down here. I am beyond grateful for all the support my family and friends provided to me while we found a daycare and sitter because now we can move on and begin our life here. Work for me is going really well and I'm enjoying my job at Aeropostale. It's definitely different being in the management role now whereas before I was just a sales associate but I love it. I really enjoy being more involved and doing the marketing and the floorsets and more of the operational stuff. The hours are tough at times because I have to do weekends and nights but we have it worked out thankfully!
And the other big news of the day is my sister found out what she is having today and it's a BOY! So sometime in February I will be an aunt again to a nephew and I can't wait. I love my niece Ava so much and can't wait to spoil my nephew. I feel so blessed and am so happy for them. My parents are also getting married again this weekend in Vegas and it's just wonderful. After the years of fighting and hardships they went through, to see them so happy and in love now, makes the hard times worth it because I honestly can't remember the last time I have seen them this happy. We may have had to sell our house that we grew up in, but if doing that brought our family back together, it was well worth it. Now we have the new baby to look forward too and the "new" marriage! Wish I could be in MA to celebrate with my family but I am there in spirit, like always. :)