Welcome Baby Lydia!

Blessings abound!  Tim and I are thrilled to announce the birth of Lydia Alyse Decker.  Lydia was born on October 10, 2010 at Wilford Hall in Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.  She weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs, 6 oz, which made for a really easy delivery and an even easier recovery. 

We entered the hospital on the evening of 9 October, after a three-day delay in getting to the hospital for an induction.  Everything went really smoothly and she arrived in a little over twelve hours.  Tim was able to make it from Kansas to be there for the birth, so we were all-around really pleased with the way everything worked out.  Since everyone was so healthy and Lackland was experiencing somewhat of a "bed situation" at the Labor and Delivery Unit, we were able to go home on the early discharge program.  We were thrilled to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible and start enjoying our family time together at home.

This week has been fairly hectic.  Tim and I have been taking turns staying up with Lydia, who has not quite gotten adjusted to U.S. time (we think she is operating on a schedule somewhere in the Middle East).  Meanwhile, I have been trying to keep up with my schoolwork in between feedings.  I had two quizzes and a midterm this week, which I somehow managed to take without the benefit of my usual cup of coffee (no caffeine for the baby).  Despite being a little tired, everything has worked out really well this week thanks to the help of my three heroes...Tim, Mom and Cansu.  Mom and Cansu have done most of the cooking, cleaning and taking care of Timmy.  Tim has helped with Lydia and has given me the opportunity to study and keep up with my schoolwork.  Without this team I don't know where I'd be!  They are truly my heroes!

This whole pregnancy has been one of the most challenging and enriching experiences of my life.  Tim and I have a profound respect for the miracle that takes place in pregnancy and birth.  We are reminded of how far we have come in the last year and a half and just how much of a blessing this healthy pregnancy is.  We would like to thank everyone for all of the love, support and prayers that you have offered to us through this entire experience.  We feel surrounded by love and have been blessed by your prayers.

Buyer Beware!

I have been absolutely floored by the service problems I have had with ADT (the home security company). A few weeks ago, I had an alarm event in the middle of the night. The alarm was triggered and ran for several minutes while I carefully checked the house to determine what had triggered the alarm. ADT DID NOT RESPOND!!!!

Since ADT did not respond or even give me a courtesy call, I attempted to contact the monitoring service. I could not get through and was placed on hold for a long time. The next morning I thought surely everything was a fluke, and I attempted to contact the monitoring service and was placed on hold AGAIN.

When I finally got through, they sent a technician out to my house to determine why the signal did not work. He could not identify a problem and said everything was working fine.

I have requested that my contract with ADT be terminated on the grounds that the equipment is unreliable (the signal did not go through when the alarm was triggered) and also because the monitoring service is unreliable (I was unable to reach them on two occasions). I thought that surely I would be allowed to end my contract since ADT was not providing the monitoring service that I am paying a monthly premium for. I was wrong.

ADT's position is that since they cannot identify the problem that caused the failure in my alarm system, they have no responsibility to do anything else. They also hold the position that they are not responsible if their customers cannot access the monitoring service because they cannot control call volume (personally, I would consider this a staffing issue that should be addressed...)

At any rate, if you are considering ADT or if you have this service, please be aware that the monitoring you may be receiving may not be reliable. Also be aware that if you need to access the monitoring service because you are having an alarm event, you may not be able to get through. And, despite the monthly premium you pay, ADT will be unwilling to refund your money if they drop the ball on your monitoring.

Most customers will never need ADT's monitoring service and will thus never really know whether the service is reliable or not. My experience tells me that the service is NOT reliable. Please be aware of this fact if you have ADT or are considering purchasing this lousy service. Invest in a dog or a cell phone...you stand a much better chance at resting safer at night.