Big Steps

Last weekend Avett started standing and taking a few steps without holding on to anything! And last night he took a big jump and walked 12 steps! I know that doesn't seem like that much or even very exciting, but come on people... In baby world, that's basically the same thing as running a marathon!!!! (And since marathons are so exhausting, he's been taking it easy and working on a few steps at a time again.)

And not so much a step as it is a big change, but the Bollwahns have welcomed a new member into the family. Last week Saturday (March 7) we went to visit a litter of Aussies out near Spring Green, and as the story always goes...we came back with one! He is a red tri and is now 10 weeks old. His name is Harken. He is very cute and friendly and pretty darn exhausting. He is doing pretty dang good with potty training and only needs to be let out a couple of times during the night, which is key because my sleep is precious! We are still working on getting him adapted to his crate at night. He gets scared to go in it. We have him eat his meals in there and periodically leave treats in there so that he finds it to be a rewarding place. We play music, give him a cuddle buddy and one of my old shirts to smell, and sometimes a little PB Kong. Sometimes this works really well and sometimes it doesn't. We're just hoping for consistency in the positive direction.

And one more big step for the family. I will be leaving my job with ProStep Rehab where I work in a skilled nursing facility in Port Washington. I have been there 2.5 years and the main thing that sparked the change was my commute. What was already almost a 2 hour long (total) commute has been increased substantially by the frustrating and enormous amounts of construction going on all around our house. And since this is projected to continue and get more involved over the next few years, I decided I could not waste any more time sitting in traffic, when I could be using that time to hang out with my family. So a few months ago I started job searching and found my dream job! I applied to an opening in the Inpatient Rehab Unit of St. Luke's Hospital. It is a part time position where I will be working three days a week. And it's only about 15 minutes from my home! That just is screaming FAMILY TIME right into my face and I couldn't be more excited! I am really looking forward to this change for the short commute, but also for the new population I will be working with. In general, it will be a younger population, with more acute injuries and greater motivation to participate and improve. I start in three weeks. I can't wait. Wish me luck!!!