All the Sun For You

A mom, two boys, a husband, and a whole lot of adventure!

Category Archives: My Free Time


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Man Alive!

I have been MIA – and there’s one and only one reason for it. My laptop. The battery is crap so it needs to be plugged in at all times, and being near it when there is actually time to blog can be an issue when you have a baby who likes to be held (in fact, he’s waking up right now).

Things here are good. It’s been busy, but it’s good.

Matthew started pre pre-school last week and LOVES it! Taking him to school yesterday was fun because he knew right where we were when we pulled in, and he ran up the stairs and into his class, giving me little chance to get his hands washed. He jumps right in wherever he is, and school is no different. We’ve received glowing reports both days so far about his social skills, his attitude, and his being an “unbelievable sharer.” 🙂 His teachers say that he’s a very good boy and nice to all the children. I like hearing that! What I like even more is the reception I got yesterday when I picked him up. The kid who could care less that I was leaving him there just a couple of hours earlier was SO excited to see me! We locked eyes and he squealed, “Mom, mom, MOM!!!!” and ran to me. LOVE!

Bryson has really mellowed out and makes my days very easy. He smiles all morning long, lets me know when he needs naps, squeals at his brother, and travels well with us from here to there. He became a new baby at around 4-5 weeks and that’s very appreciated 😉 He was a tough nut at first. HA! He sleeps pretty well at night when he’s not sick (poor baby) and will give us a 4.5-6.5 hour first stretch, then up every 3-4. If we time it right, I get up only once a night! Matthew was the opposite and got worse as he got older. I am taking this as a good sign and am hoping we will not need to do sleep training this time around! (Fingers Crossed!!!)

B is so busy at work. It doesn’t interfere with our family life because he’s so good at keeping work at work, but you can see it in his eyes every now and again that he’s worn out. He continues to be an amazing father to the boys, especially to Matthew. When you have a nursing mom, you lose a lot of one-on-one time with her and B likes to stay home in the AM while I nurse and shower so that Matthew has someone to play with. The minute he comes home, they’re playing ball, or trucks, or trains together. He’s done an amazing job at making Matthew not feel like there’s a new baby in the house (or as much like that as possible).

Our trip was great! I remember it more fondly now that it’s over, but it really was fun. HA! It was hard, but it was worth the effort. As we drove the 6 hours home, I asked B if he’s glad we took the trip and he said yes. We both enjoyed the time away from home and watching Matthew love all the time in the pools and on the beach. Bryson did great and adjusted well, and Matthew LOVED having his dad to sleep with each night. We changed up the bed time routine for him and made it a bit more fun, and I would suggest doing that for your kids while on vacation. Because we did something “special” before bed, he got pretty excited about going to bed (we watched CG on the tablet PC in bed). It was great!

Weekends have been busy with birthday parties, fall events, and regular maintenance 😉 We are going to get down to KC at the end of September or in October (hear that, Steph?!?!?) and are looking forward to that. We have a few friends down there who we want to see and that’s great motivation to make it happen. There is also a space museum that is “second only to the Smithsonian” outside of KC that I’m dying to visit (truly!). I want to keep traveling here and there because we have a big family trip to Colorado Springs over Christmas that I’m hoping will go smoothly. Fun times ahead (I say that with some sarcasm – we’re flying to Colorado and that will be the first time with both boys)!

B comes home today from an overnight work trip.  Matthew always gets sick right as B is leaving, and that happened this time too – with the added bonus of Bryson getting even sicker than Matthew!  😉   We all survived it, and I actually got a ton done while B was out-of-town.  I’m sort of a machine when he’s not here – I like to keep busy!  He leaves for 3 nights (I think) on Sunday and I am getting giddy just thinking of what I may get done while he’s gone!  Someone asked last week how Matthew’s room is coming along – and if it’s done.  It is not.  But it’s close.  The only thing I have left to do (I think) is his name banner which is on the agenda for the nights that B is out-of-town.  That should keep me busy!

We just keep on keeping on, I guess.  The only thing that I’m not thrilled with is the time that B and I get together – or rather – the time that we DON’T get together.  It’s become a real problem with the two kids because one of them is always up while we’re up.  Bryson is now starting to go to bed before Matthew, and I’m hoping that we can have some quality time together now that we have that all worked out.  By the time Matthew is finally asleep (that kid can keep his eyes open for a very long time, even when exhausted!), I come back to a tired husband who just wants to sleep.  And you know, that always sounds pretty good to me given my lack of sleep lately.  So – there lies the problem!

Now I’m off to get some much-needed sleep!

 


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Sick

We’re all sick. All four of us. I felt it coming on Sunday night but ignored it. B felt it Monday morning. By yesterday afternoon, we knew Matthew was sick too. Then last night, poor Bryson could hardly breathe through his nose.

Matthew slept all night. Bryson slept in B’s and my arms all night long. He needed to be propped up and I don’t trust the boppy (and the bouncy chair only worked for him for 1 hour).

So that was our night, but it didn’t hold a candle to today.

Matthew slept until 6:40 which made his total sleep almost 10 hours. All the sleep in the world wouldn’t have helped his mood though. He whined and moaned all morning, and I think I said, “Matthew, stop WHINING!” 50 times this morning. Bryson had a decent morning but was clearly full of snot. But they both seemed fine by 11:00 so we headed to lunch.

We never made it. While driving, Matthew had a coughing spell that ended in heaps of vomit. Everywhere. I called my friend to cancel and turned around. He cried and cried (I don’t blame him!) but then fell asleep. So I went through the drive through knowing we’d be stuck at home the rest of the day. The car smelled awful.

I got home, left both boys in the car, and started the bath. I then brought Bryson in and prayed he would stay asleep (he did). I then draped myself with a towel and got Matthew out of the car. He cried as I carried him in and stripped him down. He was THRILLED to get in the bath though!

Once bathed and jammied, I put him in our bed to watch CG. I tossed all of his clothes in the laundry and got to work on cleaning the car and car seat. YUCK. I disinfected everything with Microban cleanser (love that stuff) and headed back to the boys. Bryson was up so I put him on his tummy to rest.

As I switched laundry, I heard Bryson yelp. He’d thrown up. On fresh sheets. SHIT! Both kids were seriously sick but without fevers, thank god! I then went to get his laundry to get things clean (I hate having super dirty laundry sitting around).

With Bryson cleaned up and sleeping (upright in the boppy), I got Matthew ready for his nap. He’d pooped and it was runny, and had gotten on his jammy pants. SHIT! More laundry to do! He went down just fine, probably due to his sickness.

With both boys asleep, I relaxed with a quick painting project (20 minutes) before folding all that laundry. Then I cleaned up the house. Then I did dishes. And then I laid down to rest. I rested for almost an hour before both boys woke up at the same time. I fed Matthew yogurt, cheese, and juice and nursed Bryson. By this point, I was feeling totally crappy myself, but there was no time to think about it. There just wasn’t.

B came home at 5:30 and I went to get dinner. It was glorious to be out of the house alone! After dinner, Bryson threw up twice, and Matthew had a hard time getting comfortable in bed (of course he did). By 9:30, Matthew was finally asleep and here I am now typing this on my phone.

And that’s my first experience with having two very sick kids at the same time. Chaos! But…. do-able. Just barely. 😉

(I was supposed to start working out today. That clearly didn’t happen. Next Monday is going to be the big day. We have some work to do in getting healthy first!)


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Overdue

Man alive, things are busy here.  We have, what seems to be, a needy baby on our hands.  I have no time for anything because this boy LOVES to be held.  Using the Moby doesn’t even help – Bryson doesn’t like it.  If he’s not being held or nursing, he’s fussing to be held or nursed.  We think he’s confused his nights and days.  He will nap for a couple hours at a time during the day, but at night, once he’s up to eat – he is up.  We’ve tried all sorts of things, but nothing seems to work.  He’s moving out of our room tonight and into his room because the crib has to be more comfortable (and inviting) than the stupid pack and play (which I despise), right?

Bryson is super cute and very lovey – and we’ll for sure keep him – but he is a lot of work!

Matthew is handling this all well.  He’s only acted out towards Bryson two times, so we consider that a good thing.  If he hears or sees Bryson, he must kiss him, hold him, and put his binky in and out of his mouth.  Matthew is quite the helper and grabs a foot stool to help me wash Bryson’s hair each day.  He also uses the foot stool to help me change diapers and entertain Bryson when he’s fussing.  Matthew is a fantastic big brother!

Parenting two kids has not been the hard part for me.  Parenting a needy baby is the hard part.  But like I always say, this is temporary.  It will pass – and probably before I even realize it.

But none of this is the point of my post.  The point of my post is to extend a huge, overdue thank you to all of you for your wonderful, warm comments recently!  I like to respond to each comment, but there are just so many in the last few weeks – so I just want to say thank you to all of you right here – right now!

Thank you!


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THIS Moment in Time (#19)

I’ve been doing a secret project for Matthew’s room. I did mention this on his room page, but only as a progress item for my own record keeping. I haven’t told many people about it (URL or IRL) because there was a huge chance it would be a complete failure.

But it’s not a failure!

B came up with this idea to cover the window above Matthew’s main window. Window coverings ranged from $250 (for something stupid looking!) to $800 (for something functional and attractive). Neither of us was willing to pay either of those prices, so B asked if he could cut some plywood and if I would paint a mural on it.

I said yes! So we’ve both done our part (his part involved geometry to cut the perfect size, so I think his part was harder even if much quicker than my part – HA!) and it’s turning out better than we both thought it would!

I have more painting to do tomorrow, but here it is as it dries tonight! I’m taking quick pictures after each step/night so that this little labor of love is documented properly!


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Ready!

Bryson can be born now – I’m ready!  I spent the day yesterday boiling a few new bottles (Med.ela Calm.a and Lan.sinoh Momm.a) and all of my breast pump parts.  Man alive, I have a TON of breast pump parts!  I pumped after every feeding with Matthew, and wanted clean parts each time so that I wasn’t washing parts all day.  Now, I have quite the collection.  It is handy having lots of clean parts ready for use, but it takes a lot of work to sterilize them all and then keep them organized.  I’m not looking forward to the counter space they’ll take up!

Two pots going at all times - it was a hot kitchen!

Two pots going at all times – it was a hot kitchen!

I also did all of Bryson’s laundry!  It was already washed and ready to go, but I wanted them all to smell fresh for him (since it’s been a year and 3 months of storage), so I got my two tubs of 0-3 months clothes out from the basement and washed them all in Dre.ft.  Folding them wasn’t much fun, but it was fun going through all of them, remembering Matthew in them, and marveling that we’ll have a tiny baby again before we know it.  Of course, my babies are not as tiny as one would expect – so the clothes actually look bigger than you’d expect for a newborn.  I’m anxious to see what this little boy weighs in two weeks!

I moved Matthew’s clothes out of the nursery and into his new room.  WOW – that felt weird.  We are finalizing things these final two weeks and Matthew doesn’t even miss his old room.  He naps in there still (it’s nice and dark) and he enjoys that, but that is all.  When we tell him to go to his room (not NEW room, just HIS room), he runs for the blue room with much excitement.  This is great!  He is sleeping just great each night (I haven’t had to go in at night in several days) and is falling asleep more quickly now.  It still takes a good 30 minutes to get him to sleep, but that’s better than 60.

After getting Matthew’s clothes out of the room, I was able to move Bryson’s clothes in last night.  The room is pretty torn up with moving Matthew’s stuff out (lots of empty space on the walls), but it is 100% functional for Bryson, which is great.  What a relief!

I still want these two weeks with Matthew, but I feel better knowing that we TRULY are ready for Bryson if he decides to come early.  Whew!


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My Sunburn

It’s been a long time since I’ve talked about my pregnancy.  I keep photos and stats on this page,  My pregnancy with Matthew was so easy, relatively speaking, and this one has been too.

I can’t believe that I’ll officially be 35 weeks tomorrow, and that I’m delivering in 4.5 weeks.  We went for the hospital tour the other night at the new hospital and saw the nurse who helped us deliver Matthew.  We LOVED nurse Laurel, and after she left the day Matthew was born, we figured we wouldn’t see her again since we’d be delivering at the new hospital next time.  We locked eyes with her and she knew immediately who we were, and that was super fun!  We reminisced about the delivery, and her helping us nurse, and then told her when we would be there this time around.  She’s going to try to be on that morning to be our nurse again!  I know that it may not work out, but it would be so awesome if it did!

The new hospital is a complete 180 from the hospital where we delivered Matthew.  The hospital downtown is – well – a hospital!  It’s been there forever and it’s there for the simple reason of taking care of people.  The hospital out west isn’t intended for severe cases, etc. and is much more comfortable and leisurely.  The rooms are HUGE, there is tons of space for Matthew to run around and play, and the entire setup is more like a hotel than a hospital.  I’m actually looking forward to being there next month for 3 nights  🙂

So all is going well with this pregnancy.  Bryson (that is still his name, despite discussions the other night about maybe changing it) is measuring 2 weeks ahead when it comes to femur length and head circumference.  People say that that means nothing, but I don’t believe that for a minute because Matthew was the same way and was born with a 16 inch head!  The ultrasound tech was very precise, measured several times, and says this baby is looking to be a bit bigger than Matthew was (8 pounds 9 ounces).  She’s a super natural, crunchy kind of gal and she told me that I’m lucky I’m having a c-section again, because this baby’s head is “huge.”  She is estimating his weight at delivery (39w3d) to be about 8 pounds 14 ounces to 9 pounds.

I am not one to complain about pregnancy, but a few of you have asked me how this pregnancy is going.  I know that pregnancy comes with its own set of challenges and even though it’s wonderful, there are certain things that can suck about it.  I fully expected (and hoped for) morning sickness, sore hips, and stiff back, heartburn, round ligament pain, etc.  I have never had morning sickness, for which I am very grateful, but I have fierce heartburn way early on (started at 2 months with Matthew and was debilitating through the end).  This time around has been kinder to me with the heartburn, but hauling Matthew around (28.5 pounds) does cause sorer hips and a stiffer back earlier in the day than last time.  I didn’t have round ligament pain with Matthew but have had 3 bouts of it so far with this pregnancy and the third time had me in tears, unable to breathe, for an hour (Dr. H says it gets worse with each pregnancy).  At the end of each day, I’m pretty much done.  It’s been better lately, but there were a few weeks between Florida and now that I just needed to sit on the sofa after Matthew was in bed.  Don’t get me wrong, I still sit on the sofa after he’s in bed, but it’s out of desire and not necessity/survival!

I have a very strange condition that apparently only happens to 5% of pregnant women.  I had it with Matthew and I have it with Bryson.  My cousin, interestingly enough, had the same thing with her pregnancy when we were pregnant together last time (due 1 week apart).  We both asked our docs about it and they seemed perplexed, but then I had an appointment with Dr. H and he said, “oh yeah, that happens to about 5% of women for no reason at all.  The only cure or treatment for it is to deliver the baby.”    The condition is hard to describe, and the best way of describing it is to say it’s like having a severe sunburn in just one spot – and it’s chronic.  My cousin and I both had it under our right breast, and it’s about 5 inches wide and 3 inches tall.  It hurts – ALL THE TIME.  Everyone (including me) speculated last time that it was from Matthew’s head being in my ribs (he was frank breech) but Bryson is head-down and I have it worse this time.  In fact, it covers the exact same area as last time, but there is very rarely a baby or any movement there at all, and it hurts worse this time around.  When there is movement there – it hurts like a SOB and it’s unbearable.  It’s just awful.  Imagine having the worst sunburn of your life in just one spot, for 5 months without end, with multiple flares during the day – and that’s what it’s like.  There is no relief from it (we tried aloe vera in addition to many other things – and nothing helps).

Besides that, I’m doing just great!  Bryson has more room to stretch, we believe, because he’s very active.  Matthew ended up having a short cord (9 inches) which explained why he never turned/flipped (even early on) and only rolled side to side.  When he was delivered, Dr. H announced to the surgical team that, “we have a VERY short cord here” and later said that Matthew didn’t have much to work with in there.  We assume Bryson does.  He is ALL over the place.  He is strong and his kicks hurt a lot, but it’s fun to feel and see big movements from him!

Sure, my back hurts a lot, my hips are sore in the morning, the heartburn isn’t relieved from medication, and I’ve had round ligament pain that has left me in tears – but I think that’s normal stuff and I don’t really complain.  Heck, I was able to play basketball out back on our court with Matthew last night and fully hoist him into the air to dunk the ball.  I would say I’m doing just fine!

I’ve gained more than I’ve wanted (30 pounds!) and have struggled with that.  I only gained 18 pounds with Matthew, so this is really different for me.  YES, I started out 25 pounds heavier when I got pregnant with Matthew, but the number still bothers me.  Interestingly enough, I am measuring small again and the docs don’t know where the weight has gone and are not concerned (it’s all in my butt).  We know that the baby is HUGE but still – 30 pounds?  I am still wearing all the same clothes I got when I first bought maternity jeans, so I’m not expanding more than one would expect with a 30 pound gain.  Who knows!  I thought I was going to get my first, “you look like you’re about to pop” comment yesterday when I responded that I’m 35 weeks to the cashier at Bab.y G.ap.  She said, “whoa!” and I braced myself for what was about to come.  But instead, she said that I’m small and that she thought I was having a July or August baby.  I wanted to hug her!  Of course, I told her that I appreciated the comment and then went on to tell her that I’ve gained 30 pounds and am just not sure why.

My breasts have not grown at all (which also adds to the confusion of where those 30 pounds are and WHY they happened) – I mean – they have not grown at ALL.  They got HUGE early on when I was pregnant with Matthew and I needed new bras in the first trimester.  This time around, I can’t fill those bras up and they are way too big.  I know this has nothing to do with how successful I’ll be at breastfeeding this baby, but I will admit that I’m a little nervous about that anyway.

My feet have not swollen at all like last time.  I think it may be because I’m so active during the day being a SAHM this time around – and because I put my feet up during Matthew’s nap time.  I am just thrilled about this!  I know it could change tomorrow, but for now, I’m thrilled!

Am I glowing?  No.  Am I the most pleasant pregnant gal on the planet?  No.  Do I constantly marvel at what’s growing inside me?  No.  But I am doing really well and when I have time to think about what’s going on in my uterus, I smile from ear to ear!

Even the big kicks to “my sunburn” make me smile!

 


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Out of Control

This room of Matthew’s has gotten out of control.  I mean – 100% out of control.  What started out as a simple plan is now quite elaborate and there’s more work to do each and every day.  I’m supposed to be winding down, but I’m not.  We’re not.  We both have added things to the list of things to do.

B wants the room to be “cool and fun” for Matthew.  I agree.  I think children’s rooms are supposed to be their safe places, their happy places.  I want Matthew to like spending time in there, and that leads me down this path of infinite possibilities.  And B too.

For instance, I put the framed print from my sister up on the shelf in his room and asked B what he thought.  He said that it’s not the right place and that he’d like to put pine trees up there.  BRILLIANT IDEA!  So now we need to get fake (or real) pine trees for that space.  NOT IN THE PLAN.

Another example.  B bought me a polar.oid printer (for Mother’s Day) to create small prints from the photos on my phone, and then said that it would be nice for Matthew to have a pin or magnet board in his room to put them on.  I loved that idea, so I spent tons of time on Etsy trying to find the perfect thing.  I didn’t find it – which led me to PBK (which you all know that I have a love/hate relationship with PBK).  I found what I thought was perfect, took B there last night to show him, he liked the idea, so I bought them.  NOT IN THE PLAN.  Upon coming home and putting them where I wanted them, B says, “that’s not what I had in mind, I want him to be able to reach it.  I’ll find him a magnetic easel but keep these.”  An easel is NOT IN THE PLAN.

Then there are all the animals on the walls of Matthew’s old room that he loves – and B said that he thinks we should find different ones for his new room.  Again, I LOVE the idea and have found lots of options, but they’re NOT IN THE PLAN.

It’s not just B.  I mentioned getting Matthew some Curious George sheets from PBK because he loves CG.  We both know that this does NOT go with the outdoor theme, but we don’t really care.  B thought it was a great idea so now we’re considering it.  NOT IN THE PLAN.  I got a bedside book shelf that we both think is perfect, but it was NOT IN THE PLAN.  Oh – and along with those fun magnetic boards comes a need for fun, cool magnets.  I’ve been busy on Etsy.  Again, NOT IN THE PLAN.

What I find so strange is that prior to being a stay at home mom, I was a project manager.  I was a good one.  I was excellent at managing scope and budgets, and kicking things out because they were NOT IN THE PLAN.  But when it comes to my own projects, the sky is the limit and I sort of don’t care.  It’s become a real problem.  The same thing happened with our nursery – and that room doesn’t hold a candle to what this room is going to end up being.

So yeah – the room is coming together but the project gets longer and longer because of our new ideas (my latest idea today was to buy a bona fide hiking sign from a campground sign vendor (yes, there really is one of those) – and B agreed).  I’m out of control.  And the worst part is – I have no interest in getting back into control.

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, now you know!

 

 


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Secure

I’ve been super busy around here, working on Matthew’s new room.  I’ve been posting updates to the page as we progress through the process, and working on his room is making me feel much more prepared for the arrival of BB2.  I’ve really been enjoying it – I mean – in a crazy way!  Designing kids’ rooms is one of my favorite things to do!  It’s been so much fun!  Now, if I could just get Matthew’s birthday party planned and invitations out – that would make me feel even better!  AND – if we could get decent enough weather to get our maternity photo session done, I’d feel even better still!  And THEN – if I could get BB2’s fun ultrasound scheduled for this week, I’d feel extra better!

But something has interfered with our productivity and fun with all of the above.

We woke up at 1:42 last night to the sound of our alarm system going off.  We had just gone to bed at 12:30 (insane, I know) because we were up watching Django last night, and in hindsight, this was a good thing.  We weren’t totally asleep yet which allowed us to be alert and as “on” as possible when your security system is blaring at 1:42 AM.

I immediately checked the bedroom security panel which said, “zone 13 – back bedroom.”  Holy shit – that’s Matthew’s bedroom!  I ran as fast as a pregnant woman can run to her baby’s room.  All was fine in there, and as the sirens were still going off, I kept thinking that this made no sense since the windows aren’t wired and we have glass break sensors in the house (not to mention that Matthew’s room is elevated a story from the ground, so it’s not like someone would climb a ladder to get in any way).  It had to be a different “back bedroom” which meant the basement.

I heard B on the phone with the security people as I was going in and out of Matthew’s room, trying to make sense of what was going on.  I told him to tell them that we don’t know if everything is OK yet.  He kept them on the phone as he checked the house.  They told him that it was for sure the downstairs back bedroom.  I went in to Matthew’s room to double-check his windows, and that’s when he woke up.  I heard a quiet, “mom mom” behind me and he was standing in his crib, confused.  I picked him up as quickly as I could and took him to the chair to rock him, with his door open a bit.

As I sat there rocking him, I thought how stupid of me to leave that door open (and unlocked).  How stupid of me to NOT grab my mobile phone on my way to his room.  How stupid of me to let B tell them not to send the police yet.  How stupid of me to let my husband search the house alone, with only someone on the phone with him.  How stupid of me to be assuming this was just a false alarm.

When Matthew fell back asleep, I quickly put him in his crib and left his room, shutting the door behind me.  I should have locked it.

B was out in the living room, very shaken, but off the phone.  Things looked good, things seemed fine, it was a false alarm.

We went back to bed, but neither of us slept.

Tonight, 18 hours after the event, B just told me that he checked the house twice today and saw signs of vandalism or attempted intrusion in that back  bedroom window.  Our security system worked as designed.  Amazingly, this makes me feel more secure than assuming it was a false alarm.

Assuming it was a false alarm would have made us more relaxed if this would happen again.  Knowing this was a real threat of some kind (not sure how big or small, and I’m not one to dramatize), it has forced us to do a few things that need to be done:

  • Security cameras are going up on all sides of the house ASAP
  • Motion lights are going up on all sides of the house ASAP
  • Bedroom windows that have first level access to them (we live in a ranch with walkout basement) will possibly be wired to our security system as a secondary measure of protection
  • Certain things in our nightly routine must change including ensuring all blinds are closed in all rooms (we forget about the rooms we don’t use during the day), turning on our security system earlier in the night, and leaving front exterior lights on overnight for now

We also walked through our actions from last night from the moment the alarm went off, to when we were settled back into bed.  We developed a plan for future incidents, no matter how minor they may seem (I am posting this so that we have this documented for our future reference – and I highly encourage everyone to make a plan like this in case they’re ever faced with an intrusion):

  • Both of us will grab our mobile phones
  • We will check the security panel for location of incident
  • I will secure both children in one bedroom (most likely the nursery since there is no ground level access to it) and lock the door
  • I will call the police (even though the security service does that as well)
  • We will let the alarm run for at least a minute (it did run for about a minute last night, and we think a bit longer would be good to ensure that any intruders/vandals hear that the alarm is going off and that we’re not quick to blow it off as a false alarm)
  • We will tell the security service to send police immediately – no matter how minor things appear to be.  This was our biggest mistake.  If the intruder/vandal watched to see how we handled the situation, they know that we did not have the police sent last night.  Biggest mistake of the night
  • We will notify neighbors the next day via letter in their mailboxes

B did call the non-emergency police line last night to report the incident and request a patrol car to scope the neighborhood.  He also called them tonight, letting them know that it was not a false alarm, and they want to come out tomorrow to look and get a statement from us.

We are not concerned about ourselves.  Our security system did what it was supposed to do, and it proved to be a wonderful investment. Without it, last night and today (and who knows what all else) could have been very different from how they were.  Instead of going to the zoo and out for dinner, we could have been dealing with a very serious situation.  What concerns us is our neighbors, our friends without security systems.  SOMETHING happened last night – vandalism, an attempted break-in, or a scoping of houses for security systems and easy targets.  Honestly, I think that someone was testing out the house (and others in the neighborhood) to see if we had a security system in place.  If they had wanted to break the window to break in last night, they would have.  I would like to believe it was a bunch of stupid kids out horsing around on a Saturday night, but the weather here is just plain awful and it isn’t the type of weather that would encourage such behavior (cold, raining, near-freezing temps).

Our house is secure.  Whoever was on our property last night now knows that.  They won’t be back.  In a matter of days and weeks, our house will be even more secure because we learned last night that peace of mind is worth much more than the effort and investment it takes to accomplish it.

We are secure… even if B is sleeping out on the sofa tonight just to be closer to the basement and Matthew… just in case!

Do you have a discussed (and documented) plan with your family members detailing how you would handle a possible intrusion in your home?  I highly recommend you discuss this with your family ASAP.  You never know what could happen.