The frustrations of Life

I have been fighting DIRECTV for a month now. We signed up for DIRECTV in early Dec. We had a referral number from my brother and Andrea for $10 off for 10 months. When I called I told the women that I spoke to that I had the referral number. She told me to give it to the installer. He took the information but said that he did not know anything about it and to watch the bill and make sure it came off. In Dec., it was not off the bill, so I called. I spoke with 5 people and the last girl said it was taken care of. She had left a note on my file and if we had problems to call back.

So the January bill came and it wasn't off. Brandon called and they said they couldn't do anything about it. I called back that same evening. They said they would take care of it and to call back in 14 days to make sure it went through the system. I called back yesterday and she said it was never sent through the system and wouldn't be. I had called the wrong number. All the information I had said DIRECTV. She them said that lots of companies seel DIRECTV and they don't give the discounts if that is the line you call. I called the DIRECTV 800 number. Nowhere does it say that there are certain numbers to call or that actually you are buying it through another company. My feeling is that if their name is on it they have to stick by the promises. So, yesterday, I emailed the company and I wrote a letter. I basically said if the issue was not resolved I would contact the BBB about the deception.

Am I wrong? Nowhere did it say that it wasn't actually DIRECTV that I was ordering from. I have all my information and have been led to believe that everything would have been taken care of everytime I called. They deceived me for over a month. I refuse to cancel until the contract is up because they I would have to pay huge fees for cancelling. But if this is not taken care of I will spread the word about how they lied and led me to believe things that won't actually happen.

Sorry about my rambling about this issue it is just frustrating and I won't be taken advantage of.

Not Much to Report

I'm sorry to say that not much has happened since yesterday. Brandon made the Pekin Civic Chorus. He is really looking forward to it. Logan and I will enjoy when we can go watch. It's time to start finding some babysitters, so that Brandon and I can go to the parties. ( I know I have until June, but we need to do some trials before then) Also, to start thinking about the party we will be hosting again.

Logan and I have had a productive morning. He played and got a bath. (he loves baths) I did laundry, had a shower and cleaned the house. I decided that I would keep my promise and update today even though I did not have that much news. We hope everyone has a great week.

Long Time

Wow. I did not realize it had been over a year since I updated. Now that we have a computer that works at home, I will be updating a lot more often. (hopefully) Anyway, let's see what has been going on in the Burling family.
Brandon is still working at ISU. He recently found out that he was accepted into the Corporate MBA program at ISU. He will be going to school every other Friday evening and Saturday for the next 29 months. He is trying out for the Pekin Civic Chorus, as I type this, so I will let you know in the next update what happens with that.
I love staying at home with Logan. I am taking care of my twin nieces, nephew and Logan for an hour Mondays and Fridays. I enjoy my time with them. Sometimes it can be a challenge, but I love it. I am also planning on going back to work next school year. I will be applying for jobs and if that doesn't workout I will be subbing again.
Logan is 16 months old. He is running and climbing. He says mama, dada, papa, nana, ma (grandma), Nono (Noah), Nay (Lenay), Bull (Campbell), Cot (Scott), Lily, dog, cat, Ming Ming (Wonder Pets) go, bye bye, bath, more, cookie, and a few more. He is a little bit of a daredevil. He likes to try to stand on the recliner and flip switches or stand on his little rocking chair then climb on the arm of it, and the tries to climb the entertainment center. He keeps us on our toes, but we love him very much. He loves to say his prayer at night with his Prayer Angel. He is working on 4 more teeth and then he will have 16.
It has been a great year for us and we have had so many blessings. We love our family and friends very much. We are looking forward to another great year and I promise to keep this updated better then I have been.

Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone! First, I would like to say that I am sorry for not updating this in over two months. We broke something on the cord that plugs into our laptop so it has been difficult for me to get online at home. Anyway, all of the Burlings are doing very well.
Logan is getting big. He will be 4 months old on December 27. He is smiling, laughing, cooing, reaching for everything and has even rolled over once. On December 5, Logan met Santa for the first time. He loved it! (of course he already loved Santa because Papa White was the Santa we saw)
Brandon is doing well. He has been very busy with work and shows for Friends in Harmony. Their concert was wonderful and Brandon did a great job on his solo.
I have stayed busy making cookies and getting ready for the holidays. I love being at home with Logan too.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Unconditional Love

This is my first post since the birth of Logan. From the moment they laid Logan on my chest in the hospital it was instant love. I mean how can you love someone so much and just have met them. It is the most amazing moment when you realize that that little one is a part of you and someone you love. He has been wonderful. I enjoy every minute with Logan and Brandon. We have been very lucky. He is a very good baby and doesn't cry that much. Basically the only time he cries is when he wants to eat or when he needs to be changed. Being a stay at home mom is great. He has started smiling and is so much fun. Sorry I am going to have to cut this short because Logan is now awake and he needs to eat. I will update soon.

Our Newest Family Member

Logan Kenneth Burling

Born: August 27, 2008 at 12:01AM

Weight: 9 lbs 13.6 oz

Length: 21 1/4 inches

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Hello friends of Brandon and Kendra. (Brandon here). Well, it's been a long journey for Kendra, especially not knowing the gender of our baby, but this morning at 12:01AM she got to hold her son for the first time in 9+ long months! Logan Kenneth Burling - 9 lbs 13.6 oz - 21 1/4 inches long. I didn't think that it was possible to love someone when you first saw them, but boy was I ever wrong. Here's how it happend:

Kendra and I were watching TV on Monday night at about 10:30PM or so, and I was starting to nod off. I told her that I was going to go to sleep on the recliner and that I'd see her in the morning. We were expected to visit Angel (her midwife, who is now one of my favorite people in this world) the next morning at around 11:45AM to discuss a possible induction. Well, no need. At about 11:20PM her water had broken, and we both immediately rushed to the hospital... well, not immediatley. At first, it was like one of those Father of the Bride Part II moments where I said "Let's go," but had NO IDEA where to begin. All Kendra cared about at that moment was making it to the bathroom and not leaking on the living room floor. It was classic. We got to Pekin Hospital at around 11:45PM, and she was officially admitted at 11:58PM. They wanted her to sleep as much as she could, but all the anxiety in her was just not going to allow that to happen. I got about an hour's worth before waking up to be by her side for the next 24 hours. She was doing very well. She was increasing the size of her cervix and thinning out about every half hour to hour. They gave her pitocin to speed things up at about 1:00PM on Tuesday, and with the speeding of the delivery came contraction pain like she had not experienced. As a husband, one of the worst things that you can witness is seeing your wife in that much pain.... But I stayed strong for her sake. I didn't think that I would be able to, though. She asked for an epidural (which, by the way she is a BIG fan of) at about 4:00PM. It worked, but it wasn't as effective as what it should have been because it was not inserted as properly as it should have been. The medicine was in her, though, and she continued to have contractions and labor for about the next 3 hours. She was still in a lot of pain though, by 7:00PM. She asked for another epidural, and this time it was successful! She began pushing at around 8:30-9:00PM and this lasted until around 10:00PM. Again, now with her mom by her side as well, she was in a lot of pain, and the labor was going nowhere. They gave her some medicine to allow her to rest at 10:15PM and we were going to begin pushing again at 10:30PM. Everyone of us had in the back of our minds that this was going to be a cesarian birth because of the potential size of the baby at this point, and to be honest I believed that it was best for her. Even though we were supposed to begin at 10:30PM, she was so well rested that we agreed to give her another 15 minutes. I don't know what happened in those 30 minutes of rest, but Kendra woke up "on a mission." She stared Angel and Dr. Fisher right in the eye and said, "I'm going to deliver this baby." From day one, she wanted a vaginal delivery, and because of all the strength that she gained in that 30 minutes, she got her wish. I was so proud of her! It makes me cry right now just thinking about what she went through and how awesome the outcome was. I love her now more than I ever have.

When Angel told us that "It's a boy" we both just smiled at each other. Kendra had some work to be done still, but I got to hold my son. It was so amazing how he just knew by looking at me that I was his dad. He has Kendra's brown eyes. He's a miracle. I now know what George Strait was saying in his song I Saw God Today. Kendra has that natural mother's instinct, already. She's really tired right now, but she and Logan are doing great. We'll talk more later, but just wanted to let you know that we love you all, and appreciate all the support that you have given us.

Guess what.........still waiting!

We are still waiting to meet Baby Burling and we are getting very anxious. Brandon thinks that we will be the only parents whose child stays in the womb. That's funny for him to say because it is not moving around inside of him. I know this has to be a big baby because it is taking up every inch of me. Every move is exciting but a little more uncomfortable everyday. I am going to call the midwife today though because my hands and feet are swelling and I don't know whether to be concerned or not. It might be because I am so big but I can hope she will say "Let's go, meet me at the hospital." So far, I feel that we have tried everything to meet this baby. I have eaten all sorts of spicy foods, we went on a bumpy ride in one of Grandpa Dave's trucks, and we have tried everything else that has been suggested. Nothing worked. I know that it has worked for some people but not for us. We have everything ready and have been looking at all the baby stuff for a while now but we haven't been able to use it. I know that this is the last week we will be pregnant but I want to have this baby sooner than later. Brandon is supposed to start teaching at Eureka on Thursday so we are both hoping that the baby will come before then. I think we have both been very patient long enough. It is time to meet our little one.

We hope everyone is well. I hope this is our last post before the baby. We will update you soon.
Thanks for all of your support and well wishes. We know everyone is looking forward to hearing about Baby Burling.

Ahhhhh.... Still Waiting

I went to the Dr. yesterday and we are still waiting. If the baby isn't here by next week we will talk about inducing. I had to take a non stress test to check on the baby because I am overdue. They monitored the baby's heart rate and contractions I was having. Everything looks great with the baby which is wonderful and I am having small contractions with a couple of significant ones. Most of my contractions hit the 20 line and I had about 2 or 3 that hit the 40 line. I am still feeling no pain from the contractions which I feel blessed and a little scared about. I feel a little tightening but nothing bad. It's a little scary because I am not feeling pain, so I won't really know how to time them. I can't always go by the tightening because she said that the baby is so big that my uterus is so tight I probably won't feel that much tightening. I gained another inch in my measurement. I am measuring at 41 weeks now. I think I am more anxious about meeting the baby then I am about not being pregnant anymore. Again, Brandon and our families have been wonderful. I get phone calls everyday from people checking on me and I really appreciate the fact that they are thinking of me. I have given myself little projects to do everyday because I want to keep busy not only to keep my mind off of being late but also to keep myself moving around because that is what is good for the baby. We will keep posting information as we get it.

Overdue #2

We are still waiting to meet our little one and I grow a little more uncomfortable everyday. I go back to the Dr. tomorrow afternoon to see what they say. I know they will probably induce my labor by the end of this week because they won't let me go over a week overdue. Brandon has been wonderful through this whole experience. He rubs my back and always tries to help me with whatever I need. I really appreciate everything he has done during this past nine months. Lily has started acting a little strange around me. I was hoping that she was sensing something but no luck yet. I think that I am more anxious about meeting Baby Burling then I am uncomfortable. Trust me its not roses to being carrying a big baby but it is totally worth it. I am still very excited everytime the baby moves (even though the baby has gotten stronger and it doesn't always feel that comfortable). I am looking forward to watching the baby so I can see just what he or she was doing while he or she was inside of me. My nephew, Noah is very excited about the baby. It keeps telling me that I am getting bigger and that I am about ready to pop the baby out of there. It's so cute. Well, I am hoping that this will be my last post until the baby is here. We will keep you update.

Overdue

We are still waiting to meet Baby Burling. No real changes in how I have been feeling. We spend a lot of time playing games and watching the Olympics. I'm a little too big to do much else. We are hoping that the baby will come soon. Hope everyone is well.

Still Waiting

Well, back to the dr. yesterday for my 39 weeks appointment. Things are progressing a little bit. She said I could go at anytime, but that doesn't really mean anything at this point because I seem to hear that every appointment. Baby Burling is running out of room, so we are hoping that something will happen soon. The baby is in a good position and they don't think we should have any trouble delivering naturally. We have had three friends or family members have babies in the last week. (MY TURN!!) Congratulations to Kip and Tricia, Baby Collin is adorable. Congratulations to Brett and Jessica, Baby Laila is beautiful. Congratulations to Brandon's cousins Betty and Jason on the birth of Baby Jack. We are looking forward to meeting Baby Jack. He was born a little early but is doing very well. Now, we are totally ready to meet Baby Burling. The midwife thought we wouldn't have to wait real long. She said it is possible that the baby will come meet us this week because of my progression and because there is a full moon on Saturday. It would figure that the baby would come on the weekend because Grandma and Grandpa Burling are going out of town. Lily ( our dog ) and Sophie ( his parents' dog ) have acted a little strange around me so I am hoping they are sensing something is going to happen. ( they say dogs know when things are going to happen) We'll keep you posted.

Waiting

I was hoping by now to have some exciting news, but it looks like we are waiting to see when Baby Burling wants to come and meet us. I went to the Dr. on Tuesday and my midwife thinks that my body is totally capable of having a big baby. I was honestly a little frustrated, but after I had some time to think about it I decided that it is probably better that I go into labor on my own. She did tell me that the baby is out of room and that is why I am a little uncomfortable. She thinks that the baby could be in the upper 9 lbs or possibly even 10 lbs. ( I am keeping my fingers crossed for 9lbs.) I have been having some prelabor symptoms, so I am hoping that baby will come visit soon. I have given Brandon directions on how to update this site, so when he has time he will deifinitely post the news and some pictures. He also has me email and facebook information to update those too. I hope we have some news for you soon.

Oh yeah

Brandon brought to my attention that I forgot to label one of the pictures that I added. The picture in the middle is a picture of Brandon and I with Stephanie and Chris having a picnic before we saw Taming of the Shrew at the Shakespeare Festival. ( I couldn't see the pictures as I was writing what they were. I apologize) We had a great time that night!

The last post from me for a while.

This will be my last post for a while. Brandon is going to keep it update from work after the baby comes. I thought maybe the last post would be my last but I like having something to do during the day. When I went to the Dr. last Tuesday, I was about the same dialation and 70% effaced. Things seem to be progressing. The only thing that really changed a lot was that when he measured me I measured riight at 40 weeks (which is a full term pregnancy). When I go back this week not only will the nurse midwife measure me but he will also measure me and then we will discuss whether or not they will induce my labor. He is a little concerned that the baby is really big. We knew the baby was going to be big but the baby has seemed to take a big size jump in the last week or so. I am okay with being induced because I am afraid if I waited until my due date the baby would be so big that I would need a C-Section and I would rather have the baby naturally. If I did have the baby naturally and it was really big we would run the risk of a broken bone for me and/or the baby. I know we are ready. I think Brandon (and our moms) about has a heart attack when he sees my number on the caller ID. I actually haven't felt that bad. The heat is no fun, but I still sleep more at night then I thought I would. I have totally loved being pregnant, but I am ready to meet Baby Burling.

I hope all is well with everyone and I know you should be hearing from Brandon or I by email or phone in the next two weeks. Feel free to give us a call and come visit after we are home. We will try to let everyone know if and when they are going to induce me. I think this might be my last weekend pregnant. We will talk to you soon.

Baby Burling Update

Well, this will probably be my last update for a while. Things are getting fairly busy and the baby is getting ready to come. We went to the Dr. yesterday and I am 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. The baby is laying in the right position and they are very happy with my progress. I am having Braxton Hicks contractions and have been having then awhile, but I have no pain with them. I can feel them by touching my belly. I was told that it was possible that I could go early. We have been doing last minute preparations for the baby's arrival. We hope all is well with everyone and we will keep you informed.

Updates on the Burling family

Okay, starting from the bottom and going up. The first three pictures are from Chad and Kim's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and we had a wonderful time. The next picture is me at 32 weeks. The baby measures about three weeks bigger. I feel like we both keep growing and growing. The last two picture are from our trip to Milwaukee. They are both from the Miller Brewery tour that we took. We had a great time and it was nice to get away one more time before the baby arrives. I have a little over four weeks left and we are really looking forward to meeting our baby. I will have Brandon make calls, send out emails and probably update this so that everyone knows when the baby is born. I don't know how much this will get updated before the baby is born, but I hope that this update finds everyone doing well. I will try to update after I go to the Dr. next week, but I make no promises.

The long awaited updated pictures

The Burlings

Hello Everyone! We hope everyone is doing well. We are great! We took a short vacation to Milwaukee with my (Kendra's) parents. Brandon and my dad went to a Brewer's game and mom and I went shopping. We all went shopping in Rockford and Milwaukee. Then, we went on a tour of the Miller Brewing Company. Brandon was in heaven. ( I will put up some pictures when I get a chance) On Friday, we had another sonogram. The baby is measuring 3 weeks ahead and in the pictures the baby has really chubby cheeks. They said the baby already weighs about 5 pounds. On Saturday, Brandon and I met Chris and Stephanie at the Lincoln Museum in Springfield and we went to Jacksonville for a cookout at Lish and Bryon's. We had a great day. I also had another visit with the Dr. and the baby's heart rate was 160. I don't think Baby Burling ever stops moving. We are getting very excited and can't wait to meet our child. We have had two baby showers and his mom's is this weekend. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. We hope you have a great weekend.