Sweet Home Florida....

Doesn't have quite the same ring as Sweet Home Alabama, but that song is in my head today. We have a home again! After a long search we were rewarded with exactly what we were looking for! A great swimming pool, 24 hour fitness center, nice sidewalks for walking, and beautiful scenery! Our place is new, comfy and spacious. It is nice to be together as a family again.

We are settling into a routine (which I have been yearning for) and Gavin seems to be adjusting well. It took a couple days, but I think I have finally mastered the technique of walking both Gavin in the stroller and Sasha on her leash. She loves the lizards that dart across the sidewalk. Speaking of lizards, there is SO much wildlife around here. Toads, lizards, insects....and these cool tree frogs come out at night when it rains. I am not as freaked out about the lizards as I was in Cayman. I guess I am getting used to 'em.

Moving to Florida Day 4

There are not enough hours in the day! We have literally been running around like chickens with their heads cut off! John started his rotations at Florida Hospital. He seems really happy and comes home excited about all he is getting to do. The afternoons have been spent exploring the area and trying to find a place to live. The rental market here is amazing. There are hundreds of properties to choose from in every area in and around Orlando. I get to be a little bit picky about the things that I want in a place! Finally I think we have found a place to call home. It is a beautiful property in a brand new area that has tons of shopping and restaurants. The place itself has a neat pool area, 24 hour fitness center, a lake, and a movie theatre! We have a full size washer and dryer which is my number one requirement now that we have Gavin around!

I will be glad to get out of this hotel room! They are remodeling the rooms around us and it has become really noisy. The workers literally stand outside our window to smoke cigarettes and stare in at me like I can’t see them. I finally waved at one guy to let him know I could see him staring at me and he waved back like it was totally normal for him to be staring into the room.

Today the sun is shining, which is nice after rain for the past few days. Today the goal is to sign a lease and start moving into our new “home”.

Moving to Florida Day 3

Changed hotels. Could not survive without Internet. We rely on it too much to research apartments and other information we need to learn about a new city. New room seems smaller, but it is clean so that is all I care about!

We're busy trying to find an apartment. We found a place we like, but it seems a bit pricey. The search continues! The weather is a bit cooler, so we are not dripping in sweat each time we stroll into a leasing office.

Floriday Day 2

Move to Orlando Day 2

So…we headed out this morning to search for our new home. John driving, Sasha front seat passenger, and me in the back seat with the baby. Gavin looked at me like I had to be kidding when I put him back into the car seat after that 24 hour drive from St. Louis. We filled up with gas and John grabbed an apartment guide. Florida has its act together when it comes to apartment guides…very organized and it saved our life (considering we don’t have access to the Internet at our motel). Anyway…so we looked at some very nice properties taking notes of things we liked and didn’t like. We were on a mission and nothing was going to stop us! The apartment people probably thought we were insane. We barged in each office dripping with sweat… a panting dog in tow and a half-dressed baby. An hour into our trip Gavin had a major blowout and got poop all over his outfit and car seat.

At our final stop (8 hours into our search), we parked in front of a rental office and John headed in for information. As I pulled Gavin out of his car seat I realized that he had pooped AGAIN and it was everywhere. I had poop all over me by the time I realized how much of a blowout it was, and knew that I needed some assistance. So, I carried Mr. Poopers into the office and asked John to come out and help me. For the second time we turned the back of the jeep into a changing table. There was poop everywhere. John held his legs while I carefully removed his soiled outfit. Gavin ended up completely upside down and naked being held by his feet. We were so preoccupied with not getting poop on his face that we did not realize that Gavin had picked up the “used” baby wipes and had them in his mouth. He was giggling in delight since he was upside down and out of the car seat. We scrambled to get the wipes away from him and get him dressed in a new outfit. This whole time we did not realize that there were all kinds of people walking past.

And we're off....

We are moving on.....to Florida! Yay! John is all ready to start his rotations at Florida Hospital. Things are crazy as we pack up and get ready to go. So much to do, so little time. It will be an experience, I'm sure.....making the long drive down with Sasha and Gavin...with a Uhaul trailer attached to the jeep.

Baby Benjamin

Congratulations to Sharon and her hubby on the birth of baby Benjamin. Isn't he adorable? I am so excited for her! I had to laugh when I heard that her water broke on LABOR DAY. I am sure that this holiday has taken on a whole new meaning for her!

Sugar Pills

After a semester off school, I am ready to tackle the online world of learning again. My classes start this week: Health psychology and Social Change.

One of my favorite areas of health psychology is the placebo effect. I find it fascinating that the mind has so much control in contributing to one's perseverence or fall. The placebo effect is related to the power of suggestion. Research studies often divide people into groups: one gets the real medication, the other gets a sugar pill. Surprisingly, it is common for people to report getting better simply from the belief that they are taking a certain medication.

Tonight I was reading about how the type of treatment a patient receives plays a factor in how potent the placebo effect can be. It was interesting to learn that big pills work better than small pills. And, colored pills are better than white pills. Capsules are more beneficial than tablets. Studies have gone as far as demonstrating that people who receive a "fake" knee surgery (the surgeon cuts open someone's knee and sews 'em back up without doing any procedure) will report significant reduction in pain years after the surgery. Fascinating to me.

"Wish we were at the bar you guys..."

This is my favorite quote of the day. After a rush of crisis line calls, my friend Lori blurted out (in her true valley girl fashion), "I wish we were at the bar you guys." She followed this up with, "you know....drinking beer and stuff". It was hilarious for so many reasons. And, I totally agreed with her.

Working lots of hours this weekend. Working the holidays in the mental health field always presents unique experiences no matter how seasoned the professional.

My favorite word of the night: Esculate. This is apparently what some people do when they get angry. They esculate.

Courtney's Shower

Another successful cousin shower! We had Courtney's bridal shower this past weekend. Isn't she beautiful? I cannot believe that she is going to be married soon! We have the bachelorette party to look forward to this next weekend! A full day and night of drinking- yikes!

Back to it...

Wow. Time flies. I cannot believe that it is almost September already! Our moms and Sarah and Karen are back in school and football games are gradually replacing baseball coverage on tv. It is still strange to think that John and I have a 4 month old beautiful baby.

Looks like things are going to get crazy again soon. John is waiting to hear about his first clinical placement. It seems as though a big move is in our near future. It is stressful, but fun to experience different parts of the world. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for NO more east coast moves. He has been running around trying to get all his documents turned in to the clinical coordinator. Shots, immunization records, doctor's signatures, student loan forms, etc..... They sure do make it hard work to get that M.D. behind your name.

Also have Courtney's wedding coming up. The bachelorette party is going to kill me! It starts at 11AM at the wineries! It should be lots of fun though. I haven't partied with my girls for ages.

So cute

Dennis took this picture and I love it. These are the two most gorgeous men I know! There is nothing sweeter than seeing a daddy interact with his child. John is such a good dad. I bet the Children's team misses him because he is so good at interacting with kids.

Happy Friday.

The Baptism of Lawrence Gavin

It is official! Gavin's baptism went very well. Isn't he cute in his little outfit? Aunt Karen said he looked like a pimp! We were so happy to have the company of so many of our friends and family for this important event. It is so reassuring to have the continued support that we get from you all. Such special thanks to Grandma Cathy and Grandpa Walt for hosting the wonderful reception and to Grandma Karen and Grandpa Larry for the delicious cake and little 'extras' that made the day that much more special.

She's Got Freckles on Her Butt....

Our theme song from vacation: She's got freckles on her butt she's nice.....be grateful if you've never heard this refrain from a song written by Barefoot Man. (Barefoot Man is Grand Cayman's Jimmy Buffet). If you HAVE heard this song, you are cursing me for getting it stuck in your head. This line was sung nearly a million times on our vacation and apparently none of us knows any more of the song lyrics beyond this one line.

Arkansas was an experience. We departed St. Louis early Tuesday each with our new southern name. The number one rule was this: we were to only respond to our new names for the duration of our trip. John was Bubba, I was Daisy Mae, mom was Peggy Sue, dad was Bud, and the baby was Buck. It took us a little more than 5 hours to get to there, but the drive did not feel long because of the beautiful scenery along the way. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, filled our bellies, and headed west on 44.

John honked as we crossed the state line into the "Natural State". We drove through Mountain Home and scoped out what the town has to offer. We crossed Lake Norfolk (which is beautiful) and the Norfolk River. Our rented house had a huge deck that overlooked the water. Quite serene and peaceful. The first night we settled in and ordered pizza. The fun part was choosing which beds we would sleep in. We counted 8 beds just in the basement!

No Wireless Network Found

We definitely were in the middle of nowhere. I thought I would try to pick up an unsecured wireless network while on vacation. A message popped up on my laptop indicating that there was "no wireless network available". Not sure why I was surprised. When we made the reservations for the "resort" several weeks prior, I asked John to ask for an email confirmation. The guy (Victor) chuckled and said that he didn't have email, but that he had it written down in his notebook that he keeps by the phone.

FAMILY VACAY

Here's a picture of Gavin after his bath. He graduated to his big boy bathtub last night. He had fun splashing around.

It is almost that time!!! We're packing up and heading south.... not to the beach like we usually do, but to the Ozarks! Me, John, mom, dad, and Gavin are headed to the state of Arkansas for some fishing, shopping, and fun! Dad hit Sams Club and stocked up on goodies for the road trip. I'm really looking forward to all the garden veggies and some yummy BLTs. I am salivating just thinking about it!

Tomorrow John and I are headed to the game. Go Cards! I have been looking forward to this since my birthday. Thanks again Karen for the awesome birthday present- not only the tickets but also a free night of babysitting!! You rock!!

Hot Hot Hot!!

It is definitely August in the Lou. Hot and humid. We took Gavin to Grant's Farm yesterday. Grandma Cathy came along and we had a lot of fun. We rode the tram through the park and saw deer, horses, an ostrich, camel and cool birds. What a neat place.

the BUMBO seat

What a great invention. Thanks to Becky for getting Gavin the bumbo seat as a shower gift. He loves it! Can't you tell by the smile on his face? It helps him sit up and strengthen those muscles. It is amazing how fast he grows and changes everyday.

Runnin' to the Border

I thought you were only supposed to have cravings during pregnancy. Not so. My new favorite crave is the chicken soft taco supreme from Taco Bell. So yummy. I talked myself out of running through the drive thru before work this afternoon. Now I am regretting that decision, especially since the peeps here are chowing down on pizza. But, what is up with the stingy distribution of sauce packets at Taco Bell drive thrus? I routinely ask (in a very polite manner), "May I please have several packets of mild sauce?" They hand me 2 packets. I ask for more sauce, the girl hands me ONE more packet. I used to accept this and drive off feling irritated, but not anymore!! I continue to ask for more sauce packets until I get a sufficient amount. I mean, a minimum of 3 sauce packets is required for each item to be eaten. To be honest, I like a little taco with my sauce. Is it just me?

Where does the time "guh?"

 

This is my favorite picture from my brother's wedding. Eric and Sarah have got to be the cutest couple ever. They truly complement one another. We are blessed to have such an amazing addition to the Danner family! We can't believe that Eric found someone as crazy as we are and that Sarah actually appreciates our insanity.

So, last night John and I met the newlyweds at Xochimilco for dinner. Tuesdays are half-priced fajitas, which means we can afford to go out to dinner! As always we were entertained by Eric and Sarah's goofiness. We relived our funny "guh" moments and got Sarah to admit that she thinks it is even a LITTLE bit funny. A few weeks ago we were all swimming and Eric asked, "Where did my towel guh?" He meant to say "go", but it didn't come out of his mouth all the way. I cracked up laughing at how funny it was (Sarah says that I only egg him on), and we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find ways to use our new word: guh. A few nights later we retold the story at a family dinner and all laughed so hysterically that no one could eat. We even woke up Gavin! For some reason stories involving Eric get funnier over time. Gotta guh!

Back to work...

Sometimes you just have to experience something yourself to really understand what other people are talking about. I returned to work this week after an extended maternity leave. I remember Becky telling me how difficult it was for her to initially leave Brody and go back to work, but I did not think much of it.....until this past Friday. I kissed Gavin, got into my car and headed to work. As I merged onto 270 I felt overwhelmingly nauseous. I began to sob thinking that by the time I got back home Gavin would already be tucked in for the evening. Prior to becoming a mommy I couldn't comprehend those feelings- at least how strong they could be. It seems to be getting easier everyday, but I can surely sympathize better now with all those new moms out there who return to work.

On the upside....John is getting a lot of time with Gavin before he resumes the crazy hours associated with school. It is exciting to think that he will soon be a "third year" involved with hospital rotations. Watching him interact with the baby makes me melt....it is so sweet and sterling.