Customer Service

March 1, 2008 at 7:52 am (Just Life)
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I’ve had two really funny customer service situations this week.  One went poorly, the other went well, and fortunately the deciding factor wasn’t my temper (Praise the Lord).

The first  was at my mac’s well baby visit.  I had been thoroughly wowed by the pediatrician, so I wasn’t going to be put off by this experience, but it did make me laugh.  I was checking out and scheduling her 9 month appointment (NO SHOTS!  Can I get an amen?) when the receptionist said to me: “Okay, 3 months.  That should put us end of May, beginning of April.”

Hmmm.  I was quite confused.  Did she mean end of March?  That wouldn’t be even close to 3 months.  So I asked, “Do you mean end of April, beginning of May?”

She looked at me like I had been educated by hamsters and repeated, “No.  I mean end of May, beginning of April.”

I wasn’t being pedantic.  I just didn’t know quite how to respond. I said “I’m a little confused.  April comes before May.”

She repeated her original “End of May, beginning of April,”  so I stared blankly for a moment, before she said “I can schedule you for May 30th.  Would you like morning or afternoon.”

So I guess she meant end of May, beginning of JUNE?  I’m still stumped by it.

My second experience was on Thursday.  You know the house we bought in June?  Which was 8 months ago?  Well on Thursday I filed our homestead exemption, because Friday was the deadline, and we don’t like to leave things until the last minute.  (sheepish silence)

Soanyway,  I went down to the office prepared for a long wait in line.  Have you ever noticed that when you’re prepared for a long wait in line you don’t get one, but when you think to yourself “Oh, I’ll just run in and do that thing while I have a spare 15 minutes.” is when you find yourself in an inescapable line for several hours?  I arrived ready for a long wait in line and found myself the only person needing attention and four civil service employees waiting to serve me.

Honestly.  It was an unprecedented moment in my life!

Unfortunately, the only thing I didn’t bring with me was a copy of my warranty deed for the house.  They typed away on their computers and told me only Jonathan could file because he was the only owner of the house.  I knew this was incorrect.  I also knew I could print a copy of my warranty deed from the county website.  (A benefit of my Real Estate experience)

I asked if we could check the warranty deed online.  They quickly did so, and identified that I was a legal owner of the house.

I asked if they could print that for me.  They did so very willingly.

I asked them if I had printed it at home and brought it would they have accepted it as proof that I could file for homestead exemption.  They answered that they would have.

Then they grinned, and took it back from me, attaching it to the yellow homestead exemption card which they allowed me to sign.

So, one good, one bad, two great stories.

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Depravity and Bathtime

February 29, 2008 at 6:40 am (Thoughts and Musings)
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One afternoon, my little mac pooped.  Okay, not just one afternoon, but I’m talking about one particular afternoon.  On this occasion it filled the diaper and leaked out one leg.  I pulled off the pants and as I was evaluating my strategies for maximum clean-up with minimum spreadage, she kicked her legs happily.  Within minutes the only option left to me was a full bath.

I stripped her down and dumped her into the warm water of the tub.  And that’s when it hit me.  I was now attempting to wash my daughter in poopy water – which she wanted to drink, by the way, because babies are a little nasty that way.

It got me thinking that this is really what false religion is: trying to wash ourselves clean in poopy water.  Well, to be more precise, it’s like trying to clean ourselves in poop – which we also want to drink, because sinful man is nasty that way.

But Jesus calls himself the living water, clean water, cleansing water.  Everything we try to do as sinners just spreads the poop around, like my mac kicking her legs, but the blood of Jesus is the only thing that can take the poop away.

I did get my mac clean through a combination of fresh water and Johnson’s baby wash.  As I was doing it, I was praying that Jesus would permanently clean her soul with his blood.

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Her First Road Trip

February 28, 2008 at 6:07 pm (Baby Stuff, Just Life)
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On Saturday morning, Jonathan, the mac, two of our students and I will embark on a school sponsored trip to Washington D.C.  It will be her first road trip of any substance, and her first visit to the U.S. Capitol.  I don’t really know how much of it she’ll remember, but it will be a neat “first” to add to our list of things we’ve been doing in this first year.

There will be wireless internet in our hotel, and I have a feeling that my evenings are going to be sitting in my hotel room with a sleeping baby, while the school group frolics in the pool and exercise room, and does evening excursions, so I will be posting while I’m away.

I’ll let you know what she thinks.

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Works For Me Wednesday: When the Pants are too short

February 27, 2008 at 11:06 am (Baby Stuff, Family and Friends, Works For Me Wednesday)
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Works For Me Wednesday buttonOkay, this tip comes from Donna Long, and it’s so good it deserves its own post.  I had posted about my mac’s overalls being too short on her.  They fit everywhere else, but the little legs look like she’s expecting a flood.  It’s very frustrating!

On the post, Donna suggested that . . . well, let’s get it in Donna’s own words:

Instead of giving up on the cute yellow overalls so fast (if they fit everywhere else) sew a piece of yellow eyelet around the bottom.

When I e-mailed her to thank her for the suggestion, she added the following tip for boys.

It is a wonderful trick for girls. I have used bandanas on the end of Jas’s denim overall’s. Boys are harder to lengthen than girls, but all things are doable. It is better than trying to figure out sizing.

So guess what I’m going to do with the yellow overalls?  And all the other overalls and pant suits!  It’s a great tip that works for me.

For more WFMW tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer every Wednesday.

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To Clarify

February 27, 2008 at 10:51 am (Thoughts and Musings)

I thank you all for your comments on my post about the overalls and the pants.  (And the tip from Donna was a great one!)  But I think I need to clarify something.

Both are by the same brand.  I have this problem with everything.  The pants in every brand fit her according to age.  The overalls/pantsuits are too short.  I’m baffled!  Why do they make the legs shorter on one?

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Wordless Wednesday: Watch Me Grow

February 27, 2008 at 10:35 am (Baby Stuff, wordless wednesday)
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Did the blanket shrink? Nope, the baby grew.

1 month old and 6 months old.

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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Weird Dreams are Made of This . . .

February 26, 2008 at 9:27 am (Just Life)
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I have very vivid dreams.  In color.  Sometimes they are thought provoking.  Other times, well, the one I’m about to share is an other times.

Here is my dream:

It was 2012 and incumbent President Barack Obama was running against Republican nominee Reba Mcintyre.  Instead of debates, the candidates decided to host a series of variety shows during which they would sing, dance, and have guests with which to discuss their platforms.  In my dream, Jonathan and I were sitting on the couch watching one of these shows (apparently my subconscious thinks Barack Obama has a better than passable singing voice) and I turned to Jonathan and said “This isn’t an election.  This is American Idol, the presidential edition!”

So, that’s the faith I have in the current state of politics apparently.  But if you want to read a REALLY weird dream that has Jimmy Buffet and Pirates, check out Shannon’s post today.  Then try to imagine what my dreams would be like if I was taking what she’s taking.

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This Isn’t Horseshoes

February 25, 2008 at 9:31 pm (Just Life)
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Close doesn’t count in Haiku.  I came in 2nd with my piglet haiku.  The winners can be found here, if you’re interested.  I think the key is to enter in every category.  Maybe I’ll do that next time.

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New Pediatrician

February 25, 2008 at 9:00 pm (Baby Stuff)
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Well, today was the mac’s 6 month checkup (at almost 7 months old.  We’re a little behind) and her first with her new pediatrician.  I’m pretty sure she didn’t notice a difference, but I sure did.

The other doctors had plopped down in front of their computers and gone through their check list without addressing my daughter in anyway, and hardly greeting me.  This doctor came through the door, and directly to us.  She spoke directly to my mac, and performed the entire exam, chatting with me the entire time, before sitting at the computer.  When she did sit at the computer, she immediately turned the screen so that I could see it, and explained everything she was doing.  She showed me how mac’s weight and height are charted, and explained what would cause them to begin to investigate things.  She talked with me about vaccines, her oath to first do no harm, and her desire to be a generalist who actively seeks experts to deal with specialized issues.

Then she told me that developmentally and relationally little ms. mac is closer to 9 months than 6.

I love her.

By the way – if any of you are keeping track of these things, the mac is now 18 lbs 13 oz, and 26 inches long.  She is maintaining her 75th percentile status in both areas.  She won’t be buying petite cut pants, I’m pretty sure.

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Can Anyone Explain This To Me?

February 24, 2008 at 9:41 pm (Baby Stuff)
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On the left is a set of overalls, sized 6 – 9 months.  On the right, a pair of pants sized 6-9 months.  The pants fit, the overalls are too short.  You can see in the picture how much longer the pants are than the overalls.  Can anyone explain WHY clothing manufacturers delight in driving mothers crazy?  Ahh, I loved those yellow overalls too.
I did learn that my mac has large feet.  I went to purchase socks for her and according the chart on the back of the socks, a size 3 shoe (which is the size shoe she is wearing) is supposedly a 12 month size.  The first thing Jonathan said when she was born was: “She has huge feet!”  he has been vindicated.

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