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Changes

  What a crazy month! So many changes in our lives, Aspen being the biggest change, but by far the best. Despite her being fussy, high maintenance, and the cause of sleepless nights, we love her to pieces!
  Christmas was... well, not what we'd hoped for this year but such is life. Russ has been working 70 hours a week and with a newborn it was hard to get out, but somehow we managed to get the Christmas shopping done (thank goodness for online shopping).
  Zoey got sick a with croup a few days before Christmas but we got her in to the pediatrician and got her treated and figured we'd be OK to go to my big family party on Christmas Eve, (which I really didn't want to miss since I had been working on my grandma's gift, a picture quilt, for the last 3 months and was dying to see her open it) anyway, that would've been the case, but despite my best efforts, she got Aspen sick. I took her in the morning of the 24th assuming that the pediatrician would give her a little Tylenol and send us home, not so much. Aspen's temperature was 100.7 which is cause for concern in a baby so young. She sent us up to Primary Children's for what's called a "septic work up", and in my opinion a horrible thing to put a baby (and a mother) through. It involves a catheter, IV, blood work, spinal tap, and antibiotics. Instinctively I knew that she had the same virus that had given Zoey croup making all of this unnecessary, but everyone recommended that I go through with it just to be safe. Aspen screamed and I sobbed through the whole thing. Russ and the kids came up and stayed until it was time for the party to start, then I sent them off. Aspen and I stayed the night and Russ and I did face time on our phones the next morning so I could see the kids open their presents. By about 10:00am everything was looking good so the nice doctor let us go home. We were all exhausted but were glad to be able to spend the rest of Christmas together. Better luck next year eh?
  The next big change in our lives, well at least mine anyway is that I have quit doing hair. This decision has been very bittersweet, and a long time coming but with Russ working as much as he does, we have very little family time. It came down to either him quitting his second job or me giving up hair. His income was more stable than mine and we needed the extra space in our house so I lost the battle.
   I started beauty school when I was eighteen years old so doing hair has been a big part of my life for the last 15 years. I have worked in salons and spas and have done hair and makeup in photography studios as well, but my favorite job has been my salon here in the basement of my home. Not so much because of the location, but because of the clients I've had here. We built my salon when I was pregnant with Ryler with the intention of supplementing our income and it has been a blessing to us financially, but more than that it became my outlet, my "grown up" time when I could pawn the kids off on Russ and have a little adult interaction. It gave me the opportunity to meet and get to know people whom I may not have met under any other circumstance. I have come to love my clients, they are my friends and I'll miss my time with them.
  I love my kids and am grateful to have a husband that works hard so that I can be a full time mom. I'm a little sad but I know that this is the best decision for our family.
  Many more changes coming this year so I guess it's time to put on my big girl pants and start preparing!

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