So, I went to work Wednesday night and drove from Dallas, TX to Little Rock, AR to Memphis, TNto Jackson, TN to Dallas, TX to Houston, TX and finally back to Dallas, TX again. I was back home at 7:30am Saturday morning. I got home and went to bed to sleep for a little while. That little while ended about 2 hours after it began. My son started fussing with his mom over and over again. Then I got a call from my work asking me why I went home. I knew someone was going to drop the ball and this was going to happen. I was able to fix the mess up and still have the weekend off. Actually, I don’t have to go back to work again until Wednesday night.
On Friday morning I had to go and take my DOT physical. My Medical card had expired the day before and they told me I had to get it done now or I wouldn’t be driving anywhere until I got it done. My wife came and picked me up from my work annd took me to Doctor’s office. We were there for less than an hour. They weighed me, measured my height, checked my blood pressure, tested my flexability, heckedmy eyesight, and had me do a urine test. I passed all of it and get my new medical card. After it was over Susan and I when to IHOP for breakfast and had some good food but received lousy service. She took me back to my truck and I went straight to sleep.
This Monday Joshua has his surgeries. He will be knocked out for the 2 proceedures. He has to have tubes put in his ears and his circumcision redone. He’s not going to be a happy camper for awhile after that.ight now he and his mommy are both napping. He was supposed to nap, and she paased out from dealing with his fussiness so far today. However his sleep time is almost over. I hear him over the baby monitor sturring in his room. I guess the fun is about to begin again.
Our vacation at the end of September is a sure thing now. We now have all the money we need for the trip. All of the hotels are booked. All of the plans are made. And the minivan is reserved. I can’t wait for it to get here. I think everyone needs this vacation really badly. I know I sure do. Stress at work and with bills and other things have tested my limits of sanity. And on top of all that my wife was let go from her job almost 2 weeks ago. I’d love it if we could live as a single income family, but it just can’t be done. Plus, Susan would go nuts spending most of her time at home everyday. She’s an out-and-about type person. Definitely not a homebody. She’s had some interviews but so far no one’s hired her yet. It seems like everyone I know is looking for work. I know at least 5 people looking for a job. I’m glad at this point my job seems pretty secure.
Well, Joshua’s waking up and jabbering in his bedroom. It’s time to get him out of his bed and let him join the real world again. Anyway, I hope this keeps people content until the next time.
It’s been close to a month since my last post so, I guess it’s time to play catch up. Let’s see, where to start. I guess I’ll start with my son. He’s going to be 14 months old on the 19th. He walks all over the place now. He is also learning how to climbnow. Yesterday we all came home from dinner and my wife & I sat down on the couch. To both of our surprise, Joshua grabbed hold and pulled himself right up on the couch and sat down with us. That was a new trick. I also had to lower his mattress in his crib another notch. Seems he was able to get his foot almost to the top of the rail. Speak of his mattress, My son keeps getting bitten while he’s sleeping. We thought it might be bed bugs, but after trying all the recommended remedies to kill bed bugs and zipping the mattress in a vinyl mattress cover he’s still getting bites on him. Heck, I even tried vaccuuming the entire room from top to bottom. He’s got so many little bites on his arms, legs, and head that it’s hard to tell if the bites are old one’s or new one’s. At least we have an ointment to put on the bites to stop him from itching.
Tomorrow Joshua’s got an E.N.T. appointment. He’s had lots of ear infections since he was born and it may be time for tubes to be put in his ears. He’s seen his pediatrician more times than I can remember due to having ear infections. We’ve tried all types of medications and his ears just keep getting infected.
Joshua also keeps coming home from his daycare with a really bad diaper rash. We get it all cleared up on the weekends and when I pick him up for daycare on Monday evening the rash is back. I keep telling everyone I think he’s allergic to the butt paste his daycare lady uses but no one seems to be listening.
In August, Joshua goes to the urologist to have his circumcision redone. When he was born, the doctor didn’t do a very good job the first time. And being that this is kinda giving out more info then anyone needs to know, we’ll just move on from this topic.
Boy, you’d think with all that’s happening to my son he’d have fallen apart by now. Thank God he hasn’t. He’s really is quite healthy actually. He eats well and drinks lots of liquids, he plays with all of his toys, he laughs and screams alot, and he babbles all the time. Some of the babbling sounds like actual words too. Some of the things he can say are, “daddy”, “mama”, ”atches”(Patches, our cat), “anci”(Chanci, our dog), and “juice”. We’re just so proud of our little guy. He is truly a blessing.
As for other things in life, well… the job’s good. I just received a small raise in pay 3 weeks ago. It’s just a little more money we can use to save for our upcoming vacation with the Spencer’s to California in 2 1/2 months. I think everyone’s really excited about it and ready to have some fun. We’ve already booked some hotel rooms and the car rental. Our plans change here and there, but not too much. It’ll be nice to get to see my parents and my sister again. They haven’t seen Joshua since he was less than a month old. It’s also going to be my Dad’s 65th birthday. Supposedly, he’s not aware we’re coming. So far during our road trip we plan to stop in Flagstaff, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA(and the surrounding area); San Diego, CA; and Las Cruces, NM. It’s going to be quite an adventure.
Anyway, it’s late and I need to get headed off to la-la-land. I have a busy day tomorrow and won’t get much sleep before I head back to work. Until later.
Filed under: On the Road Again
Okay. I guess if everyone is going to start new blogs than it’s time I at least update mine. Today was Father’s Day. The 2nd one I’ve gotten to celebrate as dad myself. Unfortunately, I spent most of the day trying to get back home from El Paso, TX. It’s almost a 10 hour trip from there to Fort Worth. I was able to get home just in time to go to dinner with my wife and son and the Howard’s. Susan asked me to pick where I wanted to go for dinner. I gave her 3 choices. Double Dave’s Pizza, Red Lobster, or Saltgrass Steakhouse. I thought since Double Dave’s was cheapest we’d end up there. Instead we went to Saltgrass. I had a delicious chopped steak covered with mushrooms and steak sauce. I drank my favorite drink, strawberry lemonade. Before dinner I had a salad and it had tomatoes. I like tomatoes. Ever since they pulled them out of the stores and stopped serving the a the restaurants I been dying to have them. They were goooooood.
My wonderful wife bought me a really cool shirt for Father’s Day. The front of it reads, “SAVE TREES! Eliminate My Wife’s Checkbook!” Truer words have never been spoken. Well, not really. She normally puts it on the card. Still, I like the shirt and it’s more than I was able to get her for Mother’s Day. I only got her a single red rose from the local gas station. I felt so bad. We spent so much on other things in May that I couldn’t afford anything else. We did at least go to Italianni’s the next day for a belated Mother’s Day dinner.
I also got a cute card from my son. On the front it said, “Happy Father’s Day, Pop!” And on the inside it said, “From your pain-in-the-can.” I drink alot of soda, so it was fitting. I love the little guy so darn much. I can’t believe he’s already over a year old. He went from being still, to rolling, to crawling, and now he’s walking. It’s happening so fast. He’ll be grown up before you know it.
For now, I’m just lucky to have such a great family. I really do love them so much and miss them when I’m on the road. And now it’s time for me to go to sleep. So, goodnight to all.
Do you want to know what will make you hate having a rig that’s governed at 65mph more than anything else in the world? Try being on the phone with your wife and the last thing you hear before it hangs up is, “Oh my God! Something’s wrong with Joshua! I gotta go!” And than try calling back numerous times only to go straight to her voicemail. I think I lost a few years off my life due to panicing.
Finally, my mother-in-law called me and told me that she was on her way to our house. My wife was on the phone with 911 and that’s why I couldn’t get through. My son had had a seizure and an ambulance was already at our house. After a few more minutes my sister-in-law called me to tell me that she too was on the way to our house and that my wife and son are on the way to the hospital in the ambulance. At last my wife called me to tell me that Joshua was going to be fine. They took him and her to the hospital for observation.
I was already heading toward Dallas, TX from Shreveport, LA. I had left there at about 6:00pm. I got the 1st call from my wife at about 6:30pm and I was still about 160 miles from home. I got to the Dallas operating center at 9:00pm, dropped off the rig and was in my car by 9:15pm. My car is NOT governed at 65mph and I drive a Camaro. I got to the hospital in about 15 mins and it’s about 25 miles from my work.
When I got to my son’s room he was sound asleep in the hospital bed and we were waiting for the doctor to check him out. He slept really well too, until the doctor began checking him out. At that point he was not a happy camper anymore. It took 2 nurses, and his mommy to hold him down for them to draw blood from him. Once that ordeal was over he calmed back down and went back to sleep.
So, here’s what the doctor says happened to him. He has an ear infection in his right ear, possibly both ears, but he wasn’t able to get a good look at the left ear because Joshua wouldn’t stay still long enough. The ear infection had caused his temperature to spike up really fast and that’s what caused his seizure. He also said they believe Joshua my have had 2 seizures, one right after the other. The 1st one would have been in his crib while he was asleep and the 2nd one was on his changing table. He gave us a prescription for the ear infection and told us to have him see his regular doctor this week for a check-up. We left the hospital at about midnight.
All day Sunday and so far today he has been just fine. His check-up is set for tomorrow. I’m just glad he’s ok. I know there are going to be plenty more scares to come, but I hope they are few and along way away. Thanks to everyone who helped us out that night. We are greatful to all of you.
Well, I’m done for now. Hopefully next time I blog it won’t be as exciting.
Filed under: At Home
On Feb. 29th, 2008 a new member was added to the Lackey family. Jeromy married Mandy. They finally took the leap. The wedding was very well done and the reception was awesome. I was grateful that Joshua didn’t make too big of a fuss during the ceremony. I was afraid he would go into a tantrum and we would have to step out. I am very happy for the newlyweds and believe they have a wonderful life ahead of them. Welcome to the family, Mandy!
During their ceremony I couldn’t help but stare at my wife and remember our wedding day. It was so perfect. Everything was the way we planned it. Well, except for the music not playing during our reception. But nobody even noticed. And of course, we were duped by our family and had our car was trashed. (I still find bird seed to this day!) 
All in all there isn’t anything I would change. I married a wonderful woman and got a great family out of it.
Family is one of the most important things in the world. They’re there through good times and bad. Happy times and sad. Sure, there are times when they drive you crazy and make you wonder,”Why me?”, but they are also the first ones to come to your aid when you need a helping hand, and care for you in your times of need. At times they can make you want to pull your hair from your head. But they are also the best friends you’ll ever have. I know all this because I’m lucky enough to be part of that kind of a wonderful family.
I think I’ll leave it with this. Enjoy life! It’s the only one you get on this planet!
6 months ago I wrote, “There will be more to come later.” Well, it’s later now.
Since I last updated on here many things have happened in my life. My son is now 7 1/2 months old. He weighs 20lbs and is a few inches over 2 feet tall. Joshua also has his 2 front teeth and is eating baby food. He sits up all by himself, but still won’t crawl. He really is the most awesome thing that has ever happened in my life. I love my family. 4 years ago I met the most wonderful woman in the world. 1 year and 8 months ago she became my wife. 1 1/2 years ago we bought our 1st home. And on May 19, 2007 we became parents. If someone had told me 5 years ago that this was going to happen to me, I would have told them they were crazy. Of course there’s been a few bumps in the road along the way. Nothing’s perfect. However, when I look at my life at this point in time I realize that my life has turned out better than I ever thought it would.
Moving on…. On Labor Day weekend Joshua got to spend time at the cabin in Arkansas. For Halloween Joshua got to go out trick or treating with lots of friends and family. He also went to the pumpkin patch and got to help with carving the pumpkin(sort of). For Thanksgiving Joshua got to have turkey(baby food style). He and Susan also went back to the cabin again that weekend. I had to work, so I couldn’t go. 2 weeks ago Susan, Joshua and I celebrated our 1st Christmas as a family. It was absolutely wonderful. Joshua got so many presents. And the pictures we took show how excited he was. Now as far as bringing in the New Year, well, that was just way past his bedtime.
As far as my job goes, well, it’s not what it was anymore. After a shift bid in October I lost my being home everyday due to my low seniority level. I had to take what was left that would still pay the bills. Now I work Wednesday night through late Sunday night. I don’t get to much time with my family. The next shift bid is in April and I’m hoping to at least get weekends off again. I still like the company I work for. It’s just going to take time to get the seniority I need to be back to being home everyday again.
Anyway, it’s late and I’ve got to be up early to drive. Take care y’all.
So, here’s what’s happened since my last post. I became a father for the 1st time on May 19th, 2007. Joshua Dylan was born @ 12:28 PM and weighed 7.5lbs. He is a cute little guy and if you’re thinking, “All parents say that.”, well than check out his pictures @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffsusansamson/sets/72157600241727032/show/. He’s now 2 months old. Yesterday, we saw his doctor and he got his 1st round of shots. 4 shots and one oral medicine. He cried only a little and then went to sleep.
When he was born, he seemed like he was going to be an easy going little boy. After about 3 weeks old, that all changed. He began fussing and crying for hours on end. We’d feed him, change him, burp him, hold him, rock him, bounce him, etc. We tried anything everyone suggested, but nothing worked. Yesterday the doctor told us what we already knew, Joshua has colic. Other than that, he is as healthly as can be. He will continue to be a handful and test our stress levels at least another month or so.
On the job end of things, I no longer stay away from home all week long. After missing the 1st couple weeks of Joshua’s life and only getting to be a weekend dad, I was able to get a driving position with my company that lets me be home everyday. It also gave my a more steady paycheck and a small raise. I have to get up very early in the morning and work for almost 12 hours a day, but it’s way better than what I previously was doing.
Okay, that’s all for now. There will be more to come later.
Filed under: At Home
It’s been a long time since I last blogged and I’m not going to bore you with the things from my truck driving world over the last month or so. Here’s what’s going on right now in my at home life. Susan called me on Tuesday to tell me that she was having her mom pick her up at work and bring her to the hospital. She had a strong contraction and her belly was staying hard and not relaxing. The doctor looked at her and admitted her into the hospital. They wanted to test her for preeclampsia. The doctor says it’s a release of too much protein from her kidneys. It could cause her to have headaches, shaking, and in the worst case scenerio, seizures. If seizures occurred the placenta could tear or rip and the baby would not be able to breate.
I was in Baton Rouge, LA at the time and head for home immediatly. I got here at 4am Wednesday morning. We both spent the whole day and night in the hospital room. The doctor told us this morning that she does have a mild case of preeclampsia and that he is going to recommend to Susan’s OB/GYN that she be induced soon. So, we’ll know sometime today or tomorrow morning when Baby Joshua will be joining mommy & daddy in this world.
I promise I will keep everyone updated on Joshua’s arrival.
I guess I’ve got enough things to talk about now to blog again. I’ll start from last Monday. On that day my friend, Jodi, lost her grandmother. She was a very nice lady and will be missed by everyone who knew her. The funeral was on Wednesday. During the week I drove from Jackson, MS to San Antonio, TX and back again. Then I went from Jackson to Denton, TX. I thought my week was going to be over at that time, because I told my work I needed to be home early Saturday morning. I was WRONG! Instead, they sent me to Houston with a load and a promise to head straight back to Dallas. A little more than half way to Houston, that promise was broken. They set me up on 2 more loads while I was in Houston. There’s no nice way to put this……I was Pissed Off! After dropping off my 1st load, I got lost trying to find where I was supposed to pick up my next load. I didn’t have my computer with me, so I called Susan and she guided me to where I needed to be. When I went into the shipping office there was only a sign there that read, “Out to lunch between 7pm & 8pm. It was 7:15pm. AHHHH! After the woman got back from lunch I picked up my load and brought it to the Houston service center and dropped it there. I called my company and told them to get someone else for the next load and that they needed to send me home. After a little complaining, they did. I didn’t get home until about 4:30am.
After a short sleep, I went with Susan and family to do some baby shopping. It was fun. We got Joshua a whole bunch of clothes and a few baby books. Saturday was also Daniel & Christina’s baby shower. They had it at Los Lupe’s Restaurant. It was very emotional for them. Daniel cried twice. If he didn’t stop it, he was going to make me cry soon. They are naming their son, Adam Paul. After the shower, we help them bring all the gifts back to their place and got to see the nursery all set up. I made me ready to get Joshua’s nursery started.
And so, on Sunday morning Susan & I began setting up things in Joshua’s room. We touched up the paint on the walls, cleaned the carpet, put the crib together, brought the dresser and changing table in, and hung some things on the wall. There’s still more things to do. We need to get a bookshelf and a toybox. I need to restain a rocking chair in the garage, and stain a frame for the mirror that’s going in the nursery. We also want to get a larger area rug to in there. I can’t wait to get it all done.
We also had our child birthing class on Sunday. We got to tour the hospital where Joshua is going to be born. I was overwhelmed, to say the least. I just hope I can remember to do everything I need to do when the time comes. I’m sure it’ll all turn out ok. On Monday, Susan had a OB/GYN appointment. The doctor said everything looks great and that he’ll see her again in 2 weeks. However, after that he wants her to start coming in every week.
Yesterday I got called at 7:30am to go back to work. But this time it was a little different. Instead of heading east or south, I actually got to head west. My load delivered in El Paso, Tx. And that is where I am currently at now. Just waiting for my turn to get unloaded. Hopefully when they’re done I won’t have to wait around too long for my next load. Oh well, that’s all there is.
This week at the Samson home we’ve lost a house guest. Jeromy moved into his 1st apartment. It’s a nice place and seems perfect for him. Starting soon, Susan & I are going to begin setting up the nursery. I’m so excited to get Joshua’s room all together. We completed our baby registery at Target last week. Jeromy’s giving us his ducky bathroom set. We’ll have to get a rug and shower curtain that match it, but it’ll make a cute kid’s bathset.
We went to our 1st and 2nd child birthing classes today and last Sunday. It’s been very informative. Last week was mostly an introduction to everyone in class and what was going to happen the weeks to follow. Today we watched a video about the stages of labor. Of course, the video also showed a baby being born. All I can say is, “OH MY GOD!!!”
For those who are queasy, you may want to skip the next part. In the video, when the baby is crowning, the doctor asks the mom-to-be if she wants to feel the babies head while it’s coming out of her………………AND SHE DOES!!! My stomach wanted to leave my body and run out of the room. Other than that, everything was easy to watch. After class we went with Daniel & Christina to IHOP for dinner. We sat there and talked for more than an hour. It was nice to spend time just hanging around with another couple.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m sure I’ll have more later.
