My "Condition" ... A Great Pregnancy Story

In the midst of my Refrigerator Saga I had a side incident that Tim calls my "great pregnancy story." It was day two of the saga when I realized that it would be another day or two until I had a working refrigerator. I had made arrangements for Mercy to hang out with her Grandma and was heading over to our storage unit to pick up our coolers to put all our salvaged food in, when I made a detour to Starbucks for a "pick me up."

I set my heart on a nice cold Grande Iced Chai Latte to brighten my increasingly bad day. I don't drink coffee in general, and have cut back a lot on the caffeine intake for pregnancy's sake. Still, a treat every now and then isn't something that I stress about. I did a lot of research when I was pregnant with Mercy regarding caffeine content in some of the drinks I enjoy periodically, and again this time. I know that Chai generally has more caffeine compared to a soda or cup of regularly brewed tea. However, I figured out that their Grande, which they claim is 16 oz., really ends up being about 8 oz. of tea (concentrate and milk mixed), since more than half of the cup is ice. This is a whole other issue in and of itself, but this post isn't about the exuberant cost of ice, milk and tea concentrate. It's also not about me being that sucker who pays for someone else to make it for me, when I know I can buy a box of the tea concentrate for a few cents more at Target, rather than the mixed Grande size at Starbucks.

Anyway ... I pulled up to the telecom to make my order. The guy on the other end seemed, in my already frustrated opinion, to be overly exuberant and irritating, but I knew this was my bad day nagging at me and forgot about it by the time I got to the window. I pulled up to the window and this "new" guy greeted me there. I figured he was new due to the fact that I visit this Starbucks relatively often and have never seen him there. He seemed to be jovial enough. I smiled at him as he handed me my order. My nice attitude very quickly became one of shock and frustration that my bad day just got worse.

As he handed me my order he said, "Here you go ... and ... by the way ... under your condition you need to know that this tea has quite a lot of caffeine in it." SERIOUSLY? MY "CONDITION"! "Ok ... just smile and let it go. There is no good reason to say anything in response." I think this to myself as I hand him the money to pay for my overpriced cup of apparent poison. I figured I would just drive away and try to still enjoy my treat. But apparently he wasn't going to let me get away without making his opinion absolutely clear. As he came back with my change he added, "That kid must be going CRAZY in there ... jumping all over the place." THAT'S IT!! I took my change and said, "You know, I didn't ask for your opinion," and drove away (slowly ... don't worry ... I wasn't stupid).

I couldn't believe it! What nerve! All I could think about was how my bad day had just been completely ruined. I couldn't even have a treat in peace. Didn't he know that you don't mess with a pregnant lady in her third trimester? Did he really think I wasn't able to control my caffeine intake without his input or guidance? Did he really believe that he was an expert in Obstetrics and the correct amount of caffeine each woman should and should not have?

I finished my errand and went home to deal with my other issue and tried to forget about all the crazy people that I had dealt with that day. That night happened to be "family dinner" night at Tim's Grandparents' house. I thought I'd go eat and relax for a little while before returning to my refrigerator saga. I tried to keep to myself, but our family is tight enough for others to know I had a bad day and they wanted to know. I shared the craziness of my day and how there seemed to be no end in sight to my refrigerator craziness. Then I added my Starbucks experience as a way to prove just how bad it had gotten. We all laughed about my insane day. My cousin recommended I write Starbucks and let them know they had a server acting as a medical advice nurse. "Maybe you'll get free drinks," she added.

I thought over what my cousin had said, and figured that the corporate office at least needed to deal with their Server's rogue medical advice. The free drinks, while they would be a bonus, was not my primary objective. I just wanted to be treated with respect and courtesy ... not judgment and belittlement. After relating my experience, I let them know that if this is their policy to offer unsolicited medical advice, they need to either make sure that the servers giving the advice are trained medical personnel or offer a decaffeinated version of the Chai tea they serve (the manufacturer makes one). They sent me back a very apologetic and personalized email stating that they had no such policy and would make sure the site management knew of the incident. They also, as my cousin predicted, wanted to send me coupons for free drinks.

As promised, I received two free drink coupons in the mail today and felt a sense satisfaction mixed with a touch of sorrow that I even had to complain. Even so ... I will find it difficult to return to that particular Starbucks again. Who knows if that guy will try to give my advice about the cleanliness of my car or the shirt I wore that day.


Lesson Learned: After a lot of dealing with Customer Service Representative (CSR) gafaws over the last couple of weeks, I need to remember not to let myself get too jaded and turn into a "Master Complainer." However, I think a bit of well worded and respectful complaints when necessary can keep bad situations from getting worse. I could've stewed over that incident for a long time and become a bad customer who flared up at even the most minor failure of a CSR, but I felt I needed to voice my experience and move forward. Being a CSR is not always easy and mistakes can be made. Well worded customer feedback can be a good thing to move them towards a better experience as well.

It's Almost Summer, Baby

As the heat begins to be more consistent here, Mercy is all ready for summer.

The Refrigerator Saga is Over

Recently my husband read a post on The Consumerist that led us into over a week of disaster. This is not The Consumerist's fault by any means, but the blog post did prompt us to investigate our 2002 Maytag refrigerator to see if it was one of the refrigerators needing a recall repair. Sure enough, it was. The recall notice said that it was possible for our refrigerator to spontaneously catch on fire. There was no question about getting it repaired, so I went to the site that allowed me to register our refrigerator for the recall repair and signed us up.

Part of the registration process was to request an appointment with a local repair company online. No problem. I made the appointment for that weekend and waited to see what happened next. The first thing that came up was a reschedule for the appointment. Not sure why... not enough technicians, over scheduled, it could have been anything. No problem. They rescheduled me for the following Wednesday for 8am - 12pm.

Promptly at 8:30 am, I heard from the repair man who was just around the corner and needed help locating us. No problem. I met him at the door and led him to the dangerous appliance. The first sign of disaster occurred when he pulled the refrigerator out and said, "Oh, there's a hose back here. Do you have a water/ice maker." Uh ... Yeah!!! I suppose I thought it was obvious since it was right on the front of the refrigerator. I asked if there was a problem, and he said he "may" have pulled a little too hard and the line was leaking. I led him to the valve that turns off the cold water. He said he would fix the hose before he left. He then installed the replacement part (a relay) and "fixed" the water line. Around this time is when Tim came home for a few minutes and we agreed that he could leave the refrigerator out so I could clean behind it. Ok. No problem.

Oh ... What a problem it turned out to be. Later that night, Tim went to push the refrigerator back in and the water line started leaking. He attempted a fix of his own, but no luck. He called to get it repaired by the "professionals" and was rerouted 4 times before he got an answer that was not at all satisfying. We were going to have to call in the morning to schedule the repair. Ok. We can wait. No water or ice for the night. Not a problem. But, after Tim left to relax at the gym, I noticed that the freezer was not freezing anything and the refrigerator was not refrigerating. Melting ice and ice cream, warming drinks, etc. tipped me off. I call again to find out what the heck is going on here. The operator explains they have been receiving calls all night about this and that Maytag must be the ones to reschedule the appointment for repair. You are kidding! I have a thawing freezer and food that can't be kept cool until I get ice. Tim picked up 3 twenty pound bags for us to stuff into the freezer and fridge and I began dealing with the food that was unsalvagable.

The next day I called Maytag and they had a different company out here within a couple of hours. GREAT! They are taking this seriously. When he got here, I explained the situation and before he did anything or really even heard me out, he started to tell me how he couldn't do the work since another company caused the problem. WHAT! WAIT! If Maytag is requesting the work, then why don't you just take the money. After being hung up on by this guys boss when I called to see what the real problem was, I called Maytag and they had to make yet another appointment to have the problems repaired.

Long story shortened ... the next guy who came fixed the relay issue (it was installed BACKWARDS) and attempted to fix the hose to the ice/water line. He wouldn't push the refrigerator back in because the compressor had overheated and we had to wait an hour to plug the refrigerator back in. The water line still leaked after he left, but we had a working freezer and refrigerator. The next guy who came out, finally came out yesterday and all that was needed was to make sure the hose was tighted better and a clamp on the back of the refrigerator to hold the hose in place for moving. OH MY GOSH!! Each fix was "easy" and two other repairmen couldn't get it right.

In the mean time I lost hours of my time dealing with thawed meat, spoiling food and living out of coolers. Not to mention the many, many, many phone calls to Maytag and local repair companies having to repeatedly explain the situation and add, "the new problem is ..." It seems like the first person just had no idea what they were doing, and we were the poor suckers who got the short straw on repair men.

Lesson Learned: The sweeter you are to the people on the phone (the Customer Service Reps), the more likely you are going to get help. BUT, the sweetness only lasts so long. Then it turns into remaining calm when the people on the other end are as helpless as I am getting the right guy to finish the job in a timely manner.

P.S. -- The silver lining ... We get money from Maytag for food reimbursement. No mention of how much, and, oh, it will take 4-6 weeks to get you that check. GREAT! Can you see my eyes rolling?

She'll Try Anything...And I mean ANYTHING!

Mercy has always been willing to try something new, especially food. She isn't a big eater, but she'll try it once and then if she likes what's she's eating she may eat more. She likes things that I don't see a lot of kids eating, such as almost any green vegetable, anything called a "bean", Hummus, and California Rolls. She turns her nose up to some classic kid foods, some of which include PB&J, hamburgers, and spaghetti type foods that have tomato sauce. Tim and I don't eat a lot of these foods, so she definitely is a girl who will eat what we eat, which makes most meals fairly easy.

The other night we went to Sushi with another couple and offered Mercy California Rolls. She ate a couple, mainly the rice, but then Daddy offered her a new taste ... Salmon Roe Sushi. This is Salmon eggs over rice. Tim just wanted to see if she would try it. She took one egg and ate it and then we waited ... Would she want more? Would she gag them out? Would she say thanks, but no thanks? Anticipating and even slightly expecting the latter, we were shocked when she asked for "more." WHOA!!! Not even our friend could gag them down. I don't eat them. She is definitely a girl after Daddy's heart!



Lesson Learned: Almost everything is worth trying once, when it comes to food. Take a lesson from Mercy. She doesn't have a problem trying something once. Why should I struggle with doing the same thing?

Irish Day ... Inside Joke

Ok, ok. I know. It's not "Irish Day." It's St. Patrick's Day, or St. Patty's Day. I think one year when we were living in New York, my husband or I could not remember the actual name of the holiday in a conversation we were having and just said what came to mind ... "Irish Day." We laughed for a while when we figured out that it wasn't the correct name of the holiday, but have used it ever since ... at least with each other.

Anyway, I think this is the first year that I didn't host a St. Patty's day feast at my house since Tim and I got married. We loved celebrating it in New York by going to a local Irish Pub and having some GREAT Irish fare. When we moved back to Cali. we decided to make our food or find a place that served good Irish food. Since there are only two Irish Pubs in our area, it would be likely that they would be overflowing with people and therefore, nearly impossible to get in. So we make it at home. I like Shepherd's Pie and Tim likes the classics ... Corned Beef & Cabbage and Fish & Chips. Since we like so many different classics, we make them all and invite a bunch of people over to hang out. This year we went to friends' houses, so no cooking this year. I'm only a little bummed, but under the circumstances (being 33 weeks pregnant and all) I am glad to have let others do the work, while I enjoyed the results.

Since this year St. Patty's Day fell on one of our regularly scheduled "Girl's Nights," I went to my friend Rachel's while Tim went over to one of the other husband's house to enjoy green recreational refreshments and ... well, I'm not really sure if the boys made Irish food, but the refreshments were close enough. I took Mercy with me this week, who was dressed in her yearly (so far) St. Patty's outfit from her Grandma Sue.

Mercy is actually letting me take a picture of her in her new dress. This is her at the end of her patience with my camera.

Here we are in our "Irish Day" outfits.

This is Mercy posing with her friends, Brenden (far left) and Sammy (far right). This was a lucky shot since shortly there after, all were making it very clear they were ready for bed. :)

The food was great and the company better. I hope next year it's my turn to cook on that holiday. I missed it this year. Maybe I'll just make it on a different night this year. Mmmmmmm. Tim, I am sure, would be delighted to eat it.

Lesson Learned: When putting my daughter in a dress on a day that she wants to climb and play, I need to be more patient when she takes the inevitable fall. Of course, when there are 4 in a row, it may be worth having a back-up outfit to make her plans easier. She fell at least 4 times at my friend's house just from walking accross the room or getting down off a chair. Things she has mostly mastered, but not entirely.

Sleepless Night

Something is keeping me awake this morning. I woke up at about 4 am to make one of my many trips to the bathroom (another lovely 3rd trimester side-effect). Nothing new there, but when I crawled back in bed expecting to close my eyes and fade into a semi-comatose state, something would not let me switch off my brain.

You see, this week has been out of the ordinary. My mom arrived on Tuesday for a "vacation" and to attend my baby shower. This was her original point in traveling this particular week when she scheduled her flight in late January. Not long after scheduling this trip, she received notice from her Realtor that the house she had been in the middle of purchasing for several months finally closed. So, her "vacation" turned into a house renovation trip as well. We have been to Home Depot twice, with more trips scheduled and are headed to IKEA today to purchase some of the more decorative items. The house is going to be great when it's done, but in the mean time, it is an active construction site that everyday changes drastically.

I don't know if it's the busyness of all the errands, meetings, and anticipation of completion, but I found myself this morning letting my brain wander about all the possibilities of how it will look, what more needs to be done and who I can find to take care of it for her. She will likely worry about the fact that her house is keeping me up this morning, but let me reassure her and you, it's just a change in my daily routine, and I am sure that as soon as all the commotion of decorating, cleaning and running errands dissipates, I will find sleep easily enough. I actually began thinking of the people who might be good candidates for renting the place. Whether it be a friend or a random person that is simply deserving of a nice, spacious and affordable place to occupy the house, I feel that whoever lives there should be someone who, by no fault of their own, needs a place to stay and will feel at home there until they can get back on their feet again.

In the midst of all this, Tim and I have been viewing homes around the area for purchase ... investment or otherwise. We have viewed so many "fixer-uppers", which really means "should be condemned and torn down" that I have begun to become a bit jaded in how I see people who have foreclosed or have been evicted from their homes. Knowing the state of this country and state in relation to the many financial woes has really weighed heavy on me. I begin to think, "how in the world did people think they could endlessly refinance before they couldn't afford their own home anymore?"

But this morning, along side thinking of all the possibilities for my mom's new house, I also found myself focused on a family that is in the middle of having to leave their home that they put a lot of love and care into. We viewed a home in which the family still occupied the house, and it was clear that they really meant to make it a home for years to come. There were so many personal touches and a lot of "dreams come true" added to the home. It was finished for all intents and purposes. A home designed for entertaining friends and family. They must have really thought they would be there for a long time. Unfortunately, this state of our economy has made it impossible for them to remain in the home. Good for us? But really a bitter-sweet reality where I was reminded of the sadness that is invading so many homes today. The sadness of having to come to terms with the loss of a job or a change in income that leads to dreams crashing and fear of where will they go now. I find myself caught between hope of a change in my situation and heart-break for their change in situation.

Lesson Learned: So what do I take away from this sleepless night? I think I realize that prayer is needed more than ever for these families who are hurting. More prayer than I can offer alone. I know in our church, we are sensitive to those who find themselves losing their homes that they put so much into. I have learned over the last few years during this great rise in our economy and then sudden crash to depend wholly on God and to follow His commands regarding stewardship. Will this save Tim and I from financial ruin? Not necessarily, but I do know that we are as prepared as we can be. My prayers though are for the families who find themselves caught, right now, in the midst of the crash. I think God would have us help where we can and right now, and all I can think of is to keep praying.