Saturday, September 24, 2011

Look! A break and I didn't even expect it.

Truly, I didn't anticipate taking a blog break, but that is how it is working out.  I've been busy with the close of the membership drive.  Since I'm the Membership Chair, I get the delightful job of compiling said information into book format and passing cards and directories out to PTA members.  I have the Walk-a-thon fundraiser coming up on the 7th and am still feeling low on the communication totem pole with the principal, who is a very, very busy man.  100 Book Challenge got rolling and now I'm updating.  I have a conference to go to the evening of October 5th for our PTA district. 

No.  I'm not even the president.

I have the appointment to check in on my foot on Thursday and I came to realize that on my last appointment, I've neglected to share some fairly vital information with my doctor regarding the whole story of Bailey, my hospitalization and the blood clotting disorders (homozygous for MTHFR and PAI-Type 1.)  There are new studies that have been done on the blood clotting disorders and information that I don't know.  I'll take him a copy of the genetic testing that was done and perhaps we can have a bit of a brief sit-down about it.  Tears will be shed on my part and I know that he'll feel bad that he inadvertently tossed a freight train at me the last I was there.  I've had discussions with myself numbering more than I could approximate on about how to get all of the information out there, have it be concise enough without sounding like I'm blathering on, but still be coherent and intelligent.  He is a great guy and when he finds out that his bedside manner fell short that day, he will feel like a total heel.  My point is not to make him feel bad, I just need to know the updated information and how that has a bearing on my physical health.  Still, I've chewed and gnawed on the conversation nearly all month. 

I love my doctor.  Truly.  He is a great guy.  That has made my thoughts of the conversation even harder. 

I'm busy with tons of stuff, still cruising on a foot that I'm thinking needs to remain booted for a little while longer while carrying a rather heavy mental load. 

I'll be checking in.  Don't worry.  I didn't forget about you!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

We wait all year for this.

Sean Casey and me standing with TIV2 at the Carnegie Science Center in March, 2011.  We went for a talk that Sean was giving on his IMAX movie, Tornado Alley.  Props to Hubs for taking a picture of me that doesn't make me look drunk or high.
I know, I know.  We're science geeky people.  Storm Chasers starts on Sept 25 and we are so excited.  I have it Sharpie-d to the calendar.  You see, normally we don't have "big boy" cable, so we always have to wait until February to watch it when we purchase the season on DVD.  This year, we get to watch it, then purchase it.  The local cable company has somehow hooked us up with an extension to our cable that we aren't paying for, it doesn't include premium channels, but we do have about 50 additional channels and Discovery is in that freebie lot.  We've noticed that a lot of times, we are still bummed that we can find nothing to watch and are quite happy that we aren't being charged for the extra, but we will enjoy the few sunshiny extras that we can get while we have it.  Let's hope that it holds out through October 16.  Hubs and I love having our 10 PM Sunday night TV date!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tales from the Trenches: When Aircast boots attack.

My poor husband.  I didn't sleep well last night, flipped over, awoke half-flip and in time to see my aircast boot nail him squarely in the knee.

Talk about a rude awakening. 

Poor guy.  When you sleep with someone who has to wear a boot, you need to put up some fluffy wall of defense.  Don't worry.  He only moaned for a short while.

Smiles in my day:
-  Though not what I signed up for, K- woke me up at 4 AM to "count her dollars" that the tooth fairy left for her.  She counted them in full voice.  No whispers.  Let me repeat the time.  4 AM.  I'm glad that she was so excited to finally get that first tooth out of the way.
-  Scented candles at work when nothing else smells pleasant.  The building smelled funky when I got in, then people in general smelled gross.  Thank goodness for scentedness!

Have a great day!

Monday, September 19, 2011

At 7 3/4.

HOORAY!  K- lost her very first tooth-- finally! 


Her tooth fairy box.  It is tucked just under the one corner of her pillow.  She wanted to make it easy on the fairy after all.
I think that I bought the tooth fairy box for K- back when she was 4.  We've been waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting some more.  Wednesday came and she called me on my cell phone while I was at work.  She was absolutely squealing with delight.

She was eating a piece of corn and it finally loosened her tooth. 

Now we've been waiting.  And waiting.  The tooth has been a source of entertainment.  We nicknamed it "Mr. Wiggles."  She could do "witch tooth" (AKA closing her lips and leaving that one to hang out) and do to the "draw bridge" (AKA drop the tooth flat out.)  Every now and then, it would be a little agitated and bleed slightly.  What did I do to remedy the situation?

I bought corn for dinner and made her keep gnawing on it.

Hubs buttered it up and they were having lovely conversation as Hubs ate his dinner late because he had been tending to the lawn before the rain that is due tomorrow.  "Mom!  I have a hole!  I don't know where it went!  I think I swallowed it!"  We talked about that being a possibility and that it was okay if it happened.  Certainly the tooth fairy would completely get it.  She called my in-law's to let them know and I found her tooth sitting on the Toys R Us ad that she had been reading.  We did have a tooth to put in the box after all! 

What is the tooth fairy leaving behind?  Well, I had gotten a $5.00 for the first tooth.  I have a dollar for each one thereafter.  MIL decided to sweeten the pot because K- has had to wait for so long and she slipped me another $5.00.  (She insisted.)  I'll tell K- that she has two $5.'s because the tooth fairy felt bad because of her long wait.  I will let her know that the haul for a typical tooth is not that large at all.  However, we'll be doing the transcontinental tooth fairy.  I have foreign coins and odd American currency (gold dollar, SBAnthony dollar, a $2.00 bill) and she'll get one of those to collect and learn about each time the fairy turns up. 

We have another loose tooth.  I expect that one to pop out within the week.  Aunt Kristin was right.  She said that when the first one comes out, K- would be dropping teeth out like no tomorrow. 

I'm so excited for her! 

Smiles in my weekend:
-  K- losing her tooth!
-  Rare butterflies for our state nectaring at our plants.  There is one that Hubs needs to go to work to identify.  Another is not a state butterfly at all.  One is a tortoise shell that Hubs has only seen one other time ever.  He said that I officially have a better selection of butterflies than they do on the 250 acre prairie that he has at work.  :)
-  Going to my neighbor's church today for a Homecoming Celebration.  Bless their hearts.  They were so happy to have us there.  We were Episcopal for the day and we were the only ones who came with bibles.  It struck my Baptist heart as a little odd and I'm sure that we struck them as equally as odd.  They were lovely people and Hubs commented on people smiling and really open and making us feel welcome. 

Have a wonderful week!