History of the J Man

Jonah is leaning how to kiss.  Well…a real kiss that is…with a pucker.  Up until now if you asked him for a kiss he’d touch his mouth to your face but that’s about it.  Now he’s starting to actually put his lips into a pucker.  There’s no sound involved but it is the right idea. 

Tonight we were playing a new game that he and his Papa thought up which involves him running full speed towards me down our long hallway.  Papa would pick him up when he got to him but he killed his back that way and I’m not silly enough to make the same mistake so I had Jonah run into my arms and give me a kiss.  After a few demands for a kiss he started running down the hall towards me with his lips already in the pucker.  It was very cute. 

I’m not fast enough to get the camera though so you’ll just have to take my word for it. 

There are a few lessons I’ve learned in the last few weeks since losing my job.  I’m going to put them down here in writing as much for myself as for others. 

#1) The first lesson is about spending money.  It seems that there were things I needed to buy the minute I lost my job.  Obviously, that wasn’t the most ideal time to be making large purchases.  Make sure you have these things on hand, NOW, before you lose your job while you still have the money to pay for them.

• A interview suit that fits, complete with shoes and accessories
• A personal computer that works and belongs to you, not your employer, and all the accessories that go with it: printer, laptop bag, etc.

#2) The second lesson I learned was that I should have been backing up my computer.  Sure all my work storage drives were backed up but that was done AT WORK.  Now that I no longer work there it doesn’t help me to know that all the info I had on my laptop was backed up by the office system.  I should have been backing up the info on my laptop at HOME.  At a minimum you’ll want key personal information and documents.

• Back up personal files and documents on a personal computer
• Make sure you have access to all your contacts and any key dates off your calendar including birthdays, wedding anniversaries and directions to the wedding you’re going to next month

#3) If anyone else stockpiles frequent user points or gift cards, now is the time to cash them in.  For our 4th wedding anniversary this year Chris and I were able to go to dinner, a movie and stay at a very nice hotel all for free.  We cashed in some Marriott Rewards points, used a dinner gift certificate that we got a few months ago and discount movie passes that we’d purchased from Chris’s company.  Now is the time to take advantage of all those programs you’ve signed up for and to use any Starbuck’s gift cards that may be laying around.  Making dinner and staying at home is a great way to save money but using coupons and points is also good for your mental health. 

#4) A couple people gave me this advice early on, when they found out I’d been laid-off.  They told me to make sure to do something for myself every day.  Something I couldn’t do while I was working.  I think that is great advice!  And a wonderful way to look at this added free time as a positive thing.  I’ve used my time to spend more time with Jonah and head to the gym at least a couple times a week. 

So far Jonah and I have gotten to go to a couple museums, the zoo, quite a few different parks and generally spend some quality time together.  Which leads me to my 5th lesson.

#5) Toddlers have endless energy!  Ok, so this one doesn’t have as much to do with work stuff but it’s true.  I knew it before but now that I spend full days at a time just Jonah and I see it more first hand.  That kid would keep going all day if I let him I think!  All day I hear “Mom! Ball.”  But I’m not complaining.  He’s a good kid and he’s keeping me on my toes.  Plus the weather is getting nicer and I love being able to get outside during the day.  I’ve discovered that the park by our house is deserted around 1:00 which is great for us. 

#6) Ok, back to work lessons.  And this is the last one: be sure to tell everyone you know you’re looking for work.  I’ve been surprised at the folks that have gotten back to me (and at some who didn’t) about ideas or contacts they may have.  At this point I think everyone knows someone who’s out of work so it’s best to get the word out and network.  My profile is up to date on LinkedIn and I’ve been steadily growing my network each week.  Who knows what that might lead to.  Check it out: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jkoslendiehl

That’s it so far.  I’ll add to this as I think of anything new. 

I’m not sure why the movie came out so grainy this time but I wanted to give everyone an idea of what I spent my time doing these days with Jonah.  I swear he can keep up this activity for 8 hours a day if I let him.  Who knows, maybe this is what Tiger Woods was like as a kid. 

Play ball! from Julie Diehl on Vimeo.

Being unemployed in the spring/summer could be worse.  So far it’s allowed me to spend more time hanging out with Jonah and some of our other friends who are also around during the day.  Jonah and I have been to the Nature Museum, the Kid’s Museum and the Zoo so far, in addition to other play dates at our house and outings to the park and library.  As long as the weather is nice it’s great to be able to get outside for a bit each day. 

Below are photos from our trip to the zoo.  Jonah still needs to learn to look at the camera and smile, we’re working on it.  We packed a lunch and ate there because, as predicted, Jonah fell asleep the minute we got on the bus to go home.  Unfortunately we had to take 2 buses that day though because I forgot that the 151 doesn’t always go the whole way.  Lucky us got on the one that only went to Belmont.  No worries though, I figured I’d just transfer to the 36 and end up even closer to home.  Some jerky bus driver saw my adorable sleeping kid though and told me I’d have to take him out and fold up the stroller.  I didn’t even bother getting in.  I decided to start walking instead.  Belmont to our place isn’t terrible but it’s also not a short walk.  At Addison the next 36 pulled up with a very kind driver that not only let us on without folding the stroller but he even made sure to pull up close to the curb and lean the bus when we got to our stop. 

There’s also a photo of when baby Kalyan came to our house.  Jonah seems to like babies and Kal especially because he kept bringing him all sorts of toys to play with.  This photo was taken right before Kal tried to use Jonah to pull himself up to standing.  Jonah sat there and took it but had a look on his face that said, “Mom, get me out of here.”

This past weekend was Easter and Passover.  The park district up the street advertised an egg hunt open to all kids so we decided to take Jonah with a family from next door.  We all walked over there on Saturday morning in time for the 11:00 egg hunt.  The day was sunny but it wasn’t as warm as it looked. 

A ton of kids showed up for the egg hunt and, long-story-short, there weren’t nearly enough eggs for all the kids.  Jonah is too young to really know why we were there so we opted to just play in the park and let the older kids try to find any remaining eggs.  (I felt bad for them, some were in tears because there weren’t enough egs to go around.)

Jonah’s favorite activity at the park is to swing anyway so that’s what he did.  By the time it was time to leave he was pooped.  Don’t ask me why swinging makes you tired but you can see from the photos below that it did.  That and the fact that he still takes 2 naps most days and that day we spent the morning in the park instead.  He crashed the minute he hit the stroller I think. 

More and more these days I remark about how Jonah isn’t a baby anymore.  He got a new haircut a little while back that helps him look like a real kid.  I call him my “real little boy” as if he used to be a wooden puppet or something.  This photo of him strutting his stuff in his jeans and tennis shoes says it all.  Look at him!  Where did my baby go?