Christi Says So
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Christi Says So
Yeah, Yeah, I Know
It's been a LONG time since I wrote anything, and honestly, I might be bad again, but at least it's not 'cause anything has gone wrong. 
Munchkin (who has been re-christened Dash by Mr. C) is 18 weeks along and doing just fine. All my geezer tests came out good, so we're skipping the amnio. I can feel some flutters every now and again, and after seeing how much moving Munchkin is doing (during our Level II screening last Monday) I'm sure I'm in for MUCH, MUCH more before he/she makes it here.
They did a good job, btw, and figured out the gender while keeping it a secret from us. You'd be surprised at how irate L was, though. "You mean I have to keep these clothes for six more months?!?" (That was back in December, obviously.)
And for anyone who wonders what Munchkin thought after his/her first grounding (we were flipped off not once, but TWICE during the screening, once with both barrels), here you go:
Munchkin (who has been re-christened Dash by Mr. C) is 18 weeks along and doing just fine. All my geezer tests came out good, so we're skipping the amnio. I can feel some flutters every now and again, and after seeing how much moving Munchkin is doing (during our Level II screening last Monday) I'm sure I'm in for MUCH, MUCH more before he/she makes it here. They did a good job, btw, and figured out the gender while keeping it a secret from us. You'd be surprised at how irate L was, though. "You mean I have to keep these clothes for six more months?!?" (That was back in December, obviously.)
And for anyone who wonders what Munchkin thought after his/her first grounding (we were flipped off not once, but TWICE during the screening, once with both barrels), here you go:
Well, Well, Well
Down here in the South we're in the grip of a nasty drought. The area we live in is designated to be in exceptional drought, which is pretty much as bad as it gets. We haven't had significant rainfall in quite a while; our lakes and rivers are turning into cracked mud beds. Last I heard we're about 16" below usual; some places in the state only have 80 days of water left in their municipal supplies.
And Mr. C and I are supplied all our water by a well. What fun! So, we've been very careful to conserve as much water as we can, and I've been kind of obsessing over some neighbors who have shockingly green grass; you just KNOW they're watering the heck out of their lawn, and we're all on the same aquifer so MY drinking water is going to keep THEIR lawn looking lush.
So I'm about 10 minutes away from leaving for work last Thursday when Mr. C comes out of the shower and tells me we have a water problem; the pressure has gone down. Not much longer after that, we have NO water. He can't work at home and I can, so off he goes while I page the home warranty folks.
No answer. I page again. No answer. I call the office as SOON as they open and am assured someone will call me soon. I get a call literally 2 minutes before I'm planning to call and bug them again (I planned on calling every hour on the hour until I got a response). The rather rude guy who handles the warranty service says he'll call someone. When I don't hear anything for another 90 minutes I call back. He didn't want to call them again until I asked if I could call them; then he agreed to call them and hung up on me.
Yeah. I'm going to deal with that later.
So, here I am freaking out worrying that our well has run dry. We don't have $10k sitting around to dig a new well. And how long would it take? And what if they couldn't find water on our property; we can't even sell at that point! I don't seem to handle stress very well now that I'm pregnant; I was NOT in a good place.
Mr. C stopped by the grocery store and picked up water for me at lunch, so I'd at least have something to drink. He's such a treasure!
The plumbers arrived a little after 1 p.m., three hours earlier than they were scheduled (the plumbing company absolutely rocked, btw; too bad they were associated with our evil home warranty company). They quickly determined that either (a) the well had run dry (not likely, they said, according to the way the water had been acting) or (b) the pump had gone bad.
At this point they called the warranty company to get instructions, and the warranty company said they weren't going to cover anything. And there it is in our contract: they only cover ABOVEGROUND well pumps. Those of you who know anything about well pumps know those aren't used in wells that are younger than, say, 30 years. The submerged pump is standard and has been for many moons.
So, the plumber gives me an estimate for pulling the pump and replacing the parts. Painful, especially at Christmas, but what can I do? We have to have water. So, they get started. They ended up replacing the pump and the electrical line, and we're now poorer but have water. :> It sure was nice hearing water hit the pipes in the house again!
Good news is that our well is fine. Our static water line (the point where the water rises to naturally) is 40 feet down from the top; from what I hear, that's a wonderful number, especially in this drought.
We're going to hopefully have the funds to punch a second well (a much deeper one) next year. Even if the first one never runs dry, I'll feel SO much better if we have a backup water supply. If nothing else, we can use it on the garden and lawn.
And Mr. C and I are supplied all our water by a well. What fun! So, we've been very careful to conserve as much water as we can, and I've been kind of obsessing over some neighbors who have shockingly green grass; you just KNOW they're watering the heck out of their lawn, and we're all on the same aquifer so MY drinking water is going to keep THEIR lawn looking lush.
So I'm about 10 minutes away from leaving for work last Thursday when Mr. C comes out of the shower and tells me we have a water problem; the pressure has gone down. Not much longer after that, we have NO water. He can't work at home and I can, so off he goes while I page the home warranty folks.
No answer. I page again. No answer. I call the office as SOON as they open and am assured someone will call me soon. I get a call literally 2 minutes before I'm planning to call and bug them again (I planned on calling every hour on the hour until I got a response). The rather rude guy who handles the warranty service says he'll call someone. When I don't hear anything for another 90 minutes I call back. He didn't want to call them again until I asked if I could call them; then he agreed to call them and hung up on me.
Yeah. I'm going to deal with that later.
So, here I am freaking out worrying that our well has run dry. We don't have $10k sitting around to dig a new well. And how long would it take? And what if they couldn't find water on our property; we can't even sell at that point! I don't seem to handle stress very well now that I'm pregnant; I was NOT in a good place.
Mr. C stopped by the grocery store and picked up water for me at lunch, so I'd at least have something to drink. He's such a treasure!
The plumbers arrived a little after 1 p.m., three hours earlier than they were scheduled (the plumbing company absolutely rocked, btw; too bad they were associated with our evil home warranty company). They quickly determined that either (a) the well had run dry (not likely, they said, according to the way the water had been acting) or (b) the pump had gone bad.
At this point they called the warranty company to get instructions, and the warranty company said they weren't going to cover anything. And there it is in our contract: they only cover ABOVEGROUND well pumps. Those of you who know anything about well pumps know those aren't used in wells that are younger than, say, 30 years. The submerged pump is standard and has been for many moons.
So, the plumber gives me an estimate for pulling the pump and replacing the parts. Painful, especially at Christmas, but what can I do? We have to have water. So, they get started. They ended up replacing the pump and the electrical line, and we're now poorer but have water. :> It sure was nice hearing water hit the pipes in the house again!
Good news is that our well is fine. Our static water line (the point where the water rises to naturally) is 40 feet down from the top; from what I hear, that's a wonderful number, especially in this drought.
We're going to hopefully have the funds to punch a second well (a much deeper one) next year. Even if the first one never runs dry, I'll feel SO much better if we have a backup water supply. If nothing else, we can use it on the garden and lawn.
Wowzers
I got to meet Munchkin today! Up until today, I kinda doubted in my head that this was all real, but no more! I had an ultrasound done and got to see him/her. Heartbeat was 176, strong and regular, and I got to see an appendage (not sure if it was arm or leg, 'cause I haven't figured out how to read those things yet) move!
Mr. C was out of town at a conference, but I called him so he could hear the heartbeat. I thought it sounded like horses, but he thought it sounded more like a train. Either way, he sounded VERY excited. I know this has been hard on him, 'cause I've been sick and whiny and you really can't tell from one minute to the next how I'm going to act (or react) but now at least he can see a reason for all this. Day after tomorrow I'll be 10 weeks, 25% of the way there!
And the doctor said it was HIGHLY unlikely, but I SWEAR I felt Munchkin move last night. I still sleep on my tummy ('cause I'm weird like that) and I felt something flutter down there that wasn't gas and didn't feel like a muscle movement. It was just different, you know? They say you usually don't feel anything until about 16 weeks, and then it'd be early and rare, but I still wonder. Maybe if I feel it a few more times I'll be able to better identify the source.
Heartbeat was 176, strong and regular, and I got to see an appendage (not sure if it was arm or leg, 'cause I haven't figured out how to read those things yet) move!Mr. C was out of town at a conference, but I called him so he could hear the heartbeat. I thought it sounded like horses, but he thought it sounded more like a train.
Either way, he sounded VERY excited. I know this has been hard on him, 'cause I've been sick and whiny and you really can't tell from one minute to the next how I'm going to act (or react) but now at least he can see a reason for all this. Day after tomorrow I'll be 10 weeks, 25% of the way there!And the doctor said it was HIGHLY unlikely, but I SWEAR I felt Munchkin move last night. I still sleep on my tummy ('cause I'm weird like that) and I felt something flutter down there that wasn't gas and didn't feel like a muscle movement. It was just different, you know? They say you usually don't feel anything until about 16 weeks, and then it'd be early and rare, but I still wonder. Maybe if I feel it a few more times I'll be able to better identify the source.
Week 8
Dear Munchkin,
Assuming all is going well, this week you started building neural pathways between the two hemispheres of your brain. If it turns out at all like Mama's or Daddy's, it'll be a strange and mischievious brain indeed. You're somewhere around the size of a grape, give or take, and almost done with the embrionic stage of development (which ends at week 10, I believe). I also re-calculated and figure that you're three more days along than I thought before. So actually, today you're 9 weeks 3 days.
More good days this week. Not enough that I spent TOO much time worrying, though. You and I will be seeing the doctor for the first time on Tuesday, and as long as there's a heartbeat I'm going to be happy. Daddy will be out of town, but hopefully his plane will have landed so that we can call him and let him hear you thundering along like a herd of horses.
Internets, I need some advice. As you probably know, I'm 34 today, and 35 tomorrow. My sister L was chortling about how I'll have the big red AMA (advanced maternal age) sticker on my folder at the OB/GYN. Do I do chorionic villi sampling (CVS) or not? A good friend had it, and she was 35, and it gave her three weeks' worth of worrying for nothing. But if I don't do it, and something's wrong, would it be better to know sooner rather than later? Or am I just borrowing trouble?
I hope it's normal that the morning sickness is waning this early. I suspect it probably is. I've been able to eat a few more things, but there haven't been any MASSIVE cravings. I am getting tired of mashed potatoes, though, even though I still love 'em. Your dad made some yesterday evening, but I ended up sending him out to get pizza instead. He's such a trooper! I don't think he wants to go through this again, though. You might be it, kiddo.
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
Assuming all is going well, this week you started building neural pathways between the two hemispheres of your brain. If it turns out at all like Mama's or Daddy's, it'll be a strange and mischievious brain indeed.
You're somewhere around the size of a grape, give or take, and almost done with the embrionic stage of development (which ends at week 10, I believe). I also re-calculated and figure that you're three more days along than I thought before. So actually, today you're 9 weeks 3 days. More good days this week. Not enough that I spent TOO much time worrying, though. You and I will be seeing the doctor for the first time on Tuesday, and as long as there's a heartbeat I'm going to be happy. Daddy will be out of town, but hopefully his plane will have landed so that we can call him and let him hear you thundering along like a herd of horses.
Internets, I need some advice. As you probably know, I'm 34 today, and 35 tomorrow. My sister L was chortling about how I'll have the big red AMA (advanced maternal age) sticker on my folder at the OB/GYN. Do I do chorionic villi sampling (CVS) or not? A good friend had it, and she was 35, and it gave her three weeks' worth of worrying for nothing. But if I don't do it, and something's wrong, would it be better to know sooner rather than later? Or am I just borrowing trouble?
I hope it's normal that the morning sickness is waning this early. I suspect it probably is. I've been able to eat a few more things, but there haven't been any MASSIVE cravings. I am getting tired of mashed potatoes, though, even though I still love 'em. Your dad made some yesterday evening, but I ended up sending him out to get pizza instead. He's such a trooper! I don't think he wants to go through this again, though. You might be it, kiddo.
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
Week 7
Dear Munchkin,
You kinda freaked me out this week, hon. I forget now if it was Monday or Tuesday, but I woke up feeling JUST FINE for the first time in a little more than two weeks. Very little fatigue, tummy was quiet and happy, and I was actually HUNGRY for things. Being me, I immediately started to worry. What if something was wrong? What if you passed, and I was going to lose you?
Thankfully (?), I started feeling like doo-doo the next day. I ended up having two and a half good days this past week, so now I know to just be grateful when I do feel halfway human. Looks like I'm well on my way to a Ph.D. in worrying! Studying at your grandmother's feet has given me a headstart in the worrying all parents go through.
Your big cousin Cora turns three today; we went to her birthday party yesterday. Six young'un's, 3 and under, running around screaming. I was too sick and tired to really enjoy it, but we did have fun playing with the Dora Playdoh set your dad and I got for her. Grandma and Papaw E tickled me this week, when they told your dad, "Tell Christi we're thinking about her every day. Oh, and you too." He's an afterthought, the poor guy!
According to the intertubes, this week your liver started making red blood cells, and your appendix and pancreas have formed. Your brain has formed its two hemispheres, and this week it'll start building its neural pathways. Your eyes already have some color, and you're somewhere between the size of a blueberry and a kidney bean. Who'd've thunk such a little munchkin could throw Mama's body into such turmoil?
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
You kinda freaked me out this week, hon. I forget now if it was Monday or Tuesday, but I woke up feeling JUST FINE for the first time in a little more than two weeks. Very little fatigue, tummy was quiet and happy, and I was actually HUNGRY for things. Being me, I immediately started to worry. What if something was wrong? What if you passed, and I was going to lose you?
Thankfully (?), I started feeling like doo-doo the next day. I ended up having two and a half good days this past week, so now I know to just be grateful when I do feel halfway human.
Looks like I'm well on my way to a Ph.D. in worrying! Studying at your grandmother's feet has given me a headstart in the worrying all parents go through.Your big cousin Cora turns three today; we went to her birthday party yesterday. Six young'un's, 3 and under, running around screaming. I was too sick and tired to really enjoy it, but we did have fun playing with the Dora Playdoh set your dad and I got for her. Grandma and Papaw E tickled me this week, when they told your dad, "Tell Christi we're thinking about her every day. Oh, and you too." He's an afterthought, the poor guy!
According to the intertubes, this week your liver started making red blood cells, and your appendix and pancreas have formed. Your brain has formed its two hemispheres, and this week it'll start building its neural pathways. Your eyes already have some color, and you're somewhere between the size of a blueberry and a kidney bean. Who'd've thunk such a little munchkin could throw Mama's body into such turmoil?
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
Week 6
Dear Munchkin,
Okay, it's official. I both LOVE and DESPISE crackers. After I get through this morning sickness, I will probably NEVER eat another cracker. Ever. I've tried all kinds, and I hate 'em ALL. But they keep me from getting TOO nauseous, so right now they're my friends. It's a temporary thing; sooner or later, I will no longer speak to them.
Ginger ale, on the other hand, is my best friend. Sure, I'm a bit tired of it too (maybe more than a "bit") but it's saved my hiney like I wouldn't have believed. And it's got very little real ginger in it; I can't figure out how that works.
This week you started growing arms and legs, and moving them! You also have eyefolds above what will be your eyes; you'll have some color in those eyes this coming week. (Most likely green; both your father and I have green eyes. Oh well, at least you'll be different.)
I told the folks at work about your impending arrival this week. Most people say to wait until the first trimester is complete, but with travel coming up, and the EXTREME fatigue I'm experiencing, and the nausea (did I thank you for that?), I figured it was time to tell 'em. And they could NOT have been happier or more supportive. I swear my boss was about as excited as your grandparents! They love children there, and love families, and are anxiously waiting to meet you.
I'm still losing weight; nothing is appetizing (except mashed potatoes, at least in theory; they're cooking now), but I feel less nauseous with something on my stomach so I'm choking down those damned crackers and anything else that seems even slightly worth eating. Your furr siblings won't leave me alone; all four cats spend as much time either sitting on or near me, or begging for attention from me, as they possibly can. The dogs are just as bad; they're excited to see me, but gentle (even Baldor, who LOVES to bounce around like he has springs in his back legs) with you. Running isn't happening, and probably won't until you get here; I'm just too tired to WALK very far, much less go running. So much for my desire to run all the way through the pregnancy (or at least for as long as I could). I underestimated just how much of my strength and energy you were going to sap.
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
Okay, it's official. I both LOVE and DESPISE crackers. After I get through this morning sickness, I will probably NEVER eat another cracker. Ever. I've tried all kinds, and I hate 'em ALL. But they keep me from getting TOO nauseous, so right now they're my friends. It's a temporary thing; sooner or later, I will no longer speak to them.
Ginger ale, on the other hand, is my best friend. Sure, I'm a bit tired of it too (maybe more than a "bit") but it's saved my hiney like I wouldn't have believed. And it's got very little real ginger in it; I can't figure out how that works.
This week you started growing arms and legs, and moving them! You also have eyefolds above what will be your eyes; you'll have some color in those eyes this coming week. (Most likely green; both your father and I have green eyes. Oh well, at least you'll be different.)
I told the folks at work about your impending arrival this week. Most people say to wait until the first trimester is complete, but with travel coming up, and the EXTREME fatigue I'm experiencing, and the nausea (did I thank you for that?), I figured it was time to tell 'em. And they could NOT have been happier or more supportive. I swear my boss was about as excited as your grandparents! They love children there, and love families, and are anxiously waiting to meet you.
I'm still losing weight; nothing is appetizing (except mashed potatoes, at least in theory; they're cooking now), but I feel less nauseous with something on my stomach so I'm choking down those damned crackers and anything else that seems even slightly worth eating. Your furr siblings won't leave me alone; all four cats spend as much time either sitting on or near me, or begging for attention from me, as they possibly can. The dogs are just as bad; they're excited to see me, but gentle (even Baldor, who LOVES to bounce around like he has springs in his back legs) with you. Running isn't happening, and probably won't until you get here; I'm just too tired to WALK very far, much less go running. So much for my desire to run all the way through the pregnancy (or at least for as long as I could). I underestimated just how much of my strength and energy you were going to sap.
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
Somebody Shoot Me
Actually, if anyone DOES shoot me, it'll be Mr. C. Poor guy has been on the receiving end of some serious hormone swings! He's doing a good job, though; holding me when I need to be held, leaving me alone when I need space, and taking care of the house while I lay around and nap.
Three more weeks (plus change) until we find out if there's just one heartbeat there or more than one. The only reason I have to suspect there might be more than one is how I'm feeling. L & Mama didn't get morning sickness until they were a bit farther along than I am now, and I dunno if it's just the EXPECTATION or morning sickness, or if I'm just sensitive to the hormone cocktail flowing through my veins, or if there's more than one munchkin in there wreaking havoc on my system.
And get this: my waist is thicker (to the point that even Mr. C has noticed, and he usually won't say a word if I'm knocking lamps off of tables with my hiney), but the scale sez I haven't gained an ounce. And it's not like my legs and arms are suddenly scrawny. So what the heck?
I'll be SOOOO glad when this stage is done, though. I'm already sick & tired of feeling sick & tired, and I have it (so far) SO much easier than some women; my morning sickness lasts all day, on and off, but it's more just a nasty queasy than calling the dinosaur. Please GOD don't let it get any worse.
L and her hubby came through big-time for us yesterday! We went by to visit (and get some niece & nephew lovin') and they loaded us up with all sorts of baby & maternity gear: strollers, seats, a high-chair, her oh-so-cool Carolina Ram mobile (I LOVED that thing the first time I saw it), lots of bibs & such, a fun noodle (for when I get so huge that no position is comfortable), and three giant containers of maternity clothes. They have more for us too; we'll be taking the crib once Tim moves into a big-boy bed, and there's plenty of clothes we can swipe. Do I have the best sister and bro in the world or what?
Three more weeks (plus change) until we find out if there's just one heartbeat there or more than one. The only reason I have to suspect there might be more than one is how I'm feeling. L & Mama didn't get morning sickness until they were a bit farther along than I am now, and I dunno if it's just the EXPECTATION or morning sickness, or if I'm just sensitive to the hormone cocktail flowing through my veins, or if there's more than one munchkin in there wreaking havoc on my system.
And get this: my waist is thicker (to the point that even Mr. C has noticed, and he usually won't say a word if I'm knocking lamps off of tables with my hiney), but the scale sez I haven't gained an ounce. And it's not like my legs and arms are suddenly scrawny. So what the heck?
I'll be SOOOO glad when this stage is done, though. I'm already sick & tired of feeling sick & tired, and I have it (so far) SO much easier than some women; my morning sickness lasts all day, on and off, but it's more just a nasty queasy than calling the dinosaur. Please GOD don't let it get any worse.
L and her hubby came through big-time for us yesterday! We went by to visit (and get some niece & nephew lovin') and they loaded us up with all sorts of baby & maternity gear: strollers, seats, a high-chair, her oh-so-cool Carolina Ram mobile (I LOVED that thing the first time I saw it), lots of bibs & such, a fun noodle (for when I get so huge that no position is comfortable), and three giant containers of maternity clothes. They have more for us too; we'll be taking the crib once Tim moves into a big-boy bed, and there's plenty of clothes we can swipe. Do I have the best sister and bro in the world or what?
Pregnancy Nightmares
I've heard about this before, but I guess it's now my turn. Last night I had my first nightmare about The Munchkin; I miscarried. Probably took me about 30 minutes just lying there in the dark, sweating and shaking, to convince myself it was just a dream.
Mr. C's been working so hard lately (they REALLY needed someone for this position; I have no idea how they managed to keep the place running while his job was unfilled) and I get so little contact from friends and family these days that I kinda feel like I'm going through this all alone. Completely alone. Like, how did I manage to get pregnant without any help? And where did everyone go? Does being pregnant make your friends and family go into hiding from you?
Does anyone even read this any more?
Mr. C's been working so hard lately (they REALLY needed someone for this position; I have no idea how they managed to keep the place running while his job was unfilled) and I get so little contact from friends and family these days that I kinda feel like I'm going through this all alone. Completely alone. Like, how did I manage to get pregnant without any help? And where did everyone go? Does being pregnant make your friends and family go into hiding from you?
Does anyone even read this any more?
Week 5 (Upcoming Attractions)
Dear Munchkin,
Supposedly, at some point this week, your heart will start beating. It'll be a while longer before Daddy & I can tell, though. I think we'll be okay as long as you keep up your end of the bargain, Munchkin.
Last Saturday you completed your first 5K, and in (what was for us) pretty good time: 35:37. We beat Daddy by a step or three; he decided not to sprint the last few meters. As a result, Mama got her reward and birthday present all rolled into one: we got a PS3 Sunday. Unfortunately, YOU won't get to play with it for a long, long time; we want you outside playing with the dogs rather than cooped up indoors with video games.
Still no significant morning sickness or fatigue to deal with yet. There have been little instances, but Mama's not sure if that's in her head or for real just yet. Her sense of smell isn't QUITE as strong as it was last week, but that might be her peculiar biochemistry kicking in rather than any indication of a problem. After all, she gets used to medicines WAY quicker than most folks, causing the doctors to spend lots of time modifying the dosages. (Drove my doctors nuts when I was suffering from depression a few years ago.) She's hedging her bets, though; she has ginger (candies, cookies and tea) and saltines at the office AND at home, and has some acupressure bands for the nei-kuan points on her wrists.
Now get cracking, Munchkin! You have a lot of growing to do.
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
Supposedly, at some point this week, your heart will start beating. It'll be a while longer before Daddy & I can tell, though. I think we'll be okay as long as you keep up your end of the bargain, Munchkin.
Last Saturday you completed your first 5K, and in (what was for us) pretty good time: 35:37. We beat Daddy by a step or three; he decided not to sprint the last few meters. As a result, Mama got her reward and birthday present all rolled into one: we got a PS3 Sunday. Unfortunately, YOU won't get to play with it for a long, long time; we want you outside playing with the dogs rather than cooped up indoors with video games.
Still no significant morning sickness or fatigue to deal with yet. There have been little instances, but Mama's not sure if that's in her head or for real just yet. Her sense of smell isn't QUITE as strong as it was last week, but that might be her peculiar biochemistry kicking in rather than any indication of a problem. After all, she gets used to medicines WAY quicker than most folks, causing the doctors to spend lots of time modifying the dosages. (Drove my doctors nuts when I was suffering from depression a few years ago.) She's hedging her bets, though; she has ginger (candies, cookies and tea) and saltines at the office AND at home, and has some acupressure bands for the nei-kuan points on her wrists.
Now get cracking, Munchkin! You have a lot of growing to do.
Hugs and kisses,
Mama
Week 4
Anyone bored with this stuff already can skip it, I s'pose. I just want to have this all documented, for the baby's sake (and our own; Lord only knows how shot my memory will be after this little adventure!).
Note to self: next time you start getting a crop of acne that reminds you of when you were 16, take a pregnancy test or three. My face is in COMPLETE rebellion. Nothing much seems to help, so I just get to suffer along.
I've wavered between feeling tired and feeling okay, between being nauseous and not. It's so minor right now that I haven't totally convinced myself that it's actually morning sickness yet, and not just in my head. If I'm EXTRAORDINARILY lucky, I'll be one of the 20% that doesn't have to deal with morning sickness, but I'm preparing to be in the 80% (like L & Mama were); I got some of those acupressure bands (which I probably need some help with, 'cause I'm not sure I'm using them right just yet), and have stocked up on ginger snaps, ginger candies and saltines at the office.
Speaking of the office, everything's still mum there for now. I'm going to wait until either I'm in my 2nd trimester, or I get caught sleeping at my desk to tell my boss. I'm pretty sure they'll be supportive, but it's still something to consider. My officemate is another story, though; if I decide he's figuring things out (not sure how likely THAT will be, considering gender and age :> ), I'll have to clue him in early and hope he can keep a secret. I may just make him ask me, though, and no self-respecting male of ANY age will guess out loud whether a particular female is pregnant if he values his skin. :>
My first (and most likely last, for a year or so) 5K race is this afternoon. I think I'm going to drop out of the one in November, though; I don't feel like running right now is a bad thing (and my doctor gave it the green light, 'cause it's an established thing) but I certainly don't want to press things.
Now on to week 5! At some point this week, the baby's heart will start to beat; we might not be able to tell until the doctor's appointment after Thanksgiving, but I'll know. I do remember one lady that I worked with about 10 years ago who, when she was pregnant and past a certain stage, had an extra heartbeat visible at the base of her throat. Anyone know if this is usual, and is something I can look for?
Note to self: next time you start getting a crop of acne that reminds you of when you were 16, take a pregnancy test or three. My face is in COMPLETE rebellion. Nothing much seems to help, so I just get to suffer along.
I've wavered between feeling tired and feeling okay, between being nauseous and not. It's so minor right now that I haven't totally convinced myself that it's actually morning sickness yet, and not just in my head. If I'm EXTRAORDINARILY lucky, I'll be one of the 20% that doesn't have to deal with morning sickness, but I'm preparing to be in the 80% (like L & Mama were); I got some of those acupressure bands (which I probably need some help with, 'cause I'm not sure I'm using them right just yet), and have stocked up on ginger snaps, ginger candies and saltines at the office.
Speaking of the office, everything's still mum there for now. I'm going to wait until either I'm in my 2nd trimester, or I get caught sleeping at my desk to tell my boss. I'm pretty sure they'll be supportive, but it's still something to consider. My officemate is another story, though; if I decide he's figuring things out (not sure how likely THAT will be, considering gender and age :> ), I'll have to clue him in early and hope he can keep a secret. I may just make him ask me, though, and no self-respecting male of ANY age will guess out loud whether a particular female is pregnant if he values his skin. :>
My first (and most likely last, for a year or so) 5K race is this afternoon. I think I'm going to drop out of the one in November, though; I don't feel like running right now is a bad thing (and my doctor gave it the green light, 'cause it's an established thing) but I certainly don't want to press things.
Now on to week 5! At some point this week, the baby's heart will start to beat; we might not be able to tell until the doctor's appointment after Thanksgiving, but I'll know.
I do remember one lady that I worked with about 10 years ago who, when she was pregnant and past a certain stage, had an extra heartbeat visible at the base of her throat. Anyone know if this is usual, and is something I can look for?Telling the Family
So telling the immediate family about the impending bundle of joy turned out to be a hoot. Mom & Dad E (Mr. C's parents) took it in stride; Mom teared up, but what do you expect? Of COURSE she did! Her eldest son is finally going to be a father, and boy does that woman love her some grandchildren. They were thrilled, and very much clued in. (You'll see why that's important in a bit.)
Now, as for my family, no one DIDN'T know we were trying to conceive; it was common knowledge. We decided to just spring it on Mama and Daddy. About a month ago we did water tests for their well and ours (it started when Daddy wondered why his sidewalk keeps turning red), and they came back about a week ago. So, we went over Saturday to go over the results (Mr. C is a SME (subject matter expert) in this sort of thing). Mr. C told them what they had in their well water (16x the allowed amount of iron, for example; now we know why the sidewalks are red!), 11x the allowed amount of lead, stuff like that. He gave them suggestions on the kind of filter to put into place; Daddy wants to add the well water as an alternate water source (they're already on city water).
Then, we told them about ours. Despite the fact that our water often smells of sulfur, the amount of sulfates was normal. However, we do have about 3x the allowed amount of lead in our water. So I said, "So I got a water filter for the bathroom, because that's just not a safe amount for the baby."
Cricket. Cricket.
Mama just looked back at me like, "Mm-hmm. Not safe for the baby. How interesting. I wonder if Matlock is on tonight." (Not that she watches it, but it's good for a joke now & then.) Daddy had the same look, but then it switched, and his eyes got very big. Mr. C just waved the paper back and forth over his head. "Right over. Didn't even touch." After a couple of minutes I realized Mama wasn't going to get it out without help, so we told her we were pregnant. Daddy kinda figured it out, but turns out she was trying to think, "So, are they pregnant, or are they talking about conceiving at some point in the future?" So much for keeping everyone in the loop.
So then Sunday comes around. We're back over there, playing with Tim (Cora was hogging Mama, and didn't really have time for the rest of us :> ). L & The Bro were there, and we were just idly chatting; I was waiting for an appropriate moment to show up. Sure enough, L asks, "So, how are the furrkids? Any additions?" I looked at Mr. C and said, "There will be one." She pipes up with, "Who's pregnant?" We just laughed. She thought it was one of the furrkids (despite the fact that only one is female, and she's been fixed for 8 years). Mr. C responded, "Me, L. I'm pregnant." Then they got it.
Now, as for my family, no one DIDN'T know we were trying to conceive; it was common knowledge. We decided to just spring it on Mama and Daddy. About a month ago we did water tests for their well and ours (it started when Daddy wondered why his sidewalk keeps turning red), and they came back about a week ago. So, we went over Saturday to go over the results (Mr. C is a SME (subject matter expert) in this sort of thing). Mr. C told them what they had in their well water (16x the allowed amount of iron, for example; now we know why the sidewalks are red!), 11x the allowed amount of lead, stuff like that. He gave them suggestions on the kind of filter to put into place; Daddy wants to add the well water as an alternate water source (they're already on city water).
Then, we told them about ours. Despite the fact that our water often smells of sulfur, the amount of sulfates was normal. However, we do have about 3x the allowed amount of lead in our water. So I said, "So I got a water filter for the bathroom, because that's just not a safe amount for the baby."
Cricket. Cricket.
Mama just looked back at me like, "Mm-hmm. Not safe for the baby. How interesting. I wonder if Matlock is on tonight." (Not that she watches it, but it's good for a joke now & then.) Daddy had the same look, but then it switched, and his eyes got very big. Mr. C just waved the paper back and forth over his head. "Right over. Didn't even touch." After a couple of minutes I realized Mama wasn't going to get it out without help, so we told her we were pregnant. Daddy kinda figured it out, but turns out she was trying to think, "So, are they pregnant, or are they talking about conceiving at some point in the future?" So much for keeping everyone in the loop.
So then Sunday comes around. We're back over there, playing with Tim (Cora was hogging Mama, and didn't really have time for the rest of us :> ). L & The Bro were there, and we were just idly chatting; I was waiting for an appropriate moment to show up. Sure enough, L asks, "So, how are the furrkids? Any additions?" I looked at Mr. C and said, "There will be one." She pipes up with, "Who's pregnant?" We just laughed. She thought it was one of the furrkids (despite the fact that only one is female, and she's been fixed for 8 years). Mr. C responded, "Me, L. I'm pregnant." Then they got it.
A Special Memory
Yesterday, at Uncle Buddy's funeral, I ran into a few people that I haven't seen for at least 17 years. Why 17 years? Because it's been 17 years since Mama was laid off from the local CBS affiliate. (It was the great middle-manager purge of 1989.)
They were a tight-knit bunch at WBTV when I was a kid. Mama got Aunt P her job there, so a lot of the old-timers from BTV showed up to support Aunt P. When we were kids, Mama would sometimes take us to work with her (particularly on the weekends, if Daddy was working and she couldn't find daycare); we were BTV babies. We'd play at the switchboard, color on old log sheets in her office, or help Sonny with the commercials (pushing in those big tapes made us feel SOOOO important).
For anyone in the area who was around then, you might remember Doug Mayes, an anchor at WBTV. I remember him as a HUGE man (from my perspective as a squirt) who always talked to us like we were grown-ups. Such a nice man. Well, he was there yesterday. Older, a bit more frail, but still with those sparkling blue eyes and gentle smile. Turns out he holds a great deal of affection for my mother! He said she had always been like a daughter to him, and then said, "And I love you guys too; I've always considered you family." Well, I teared right up. What a sweet thing to say!
Turns out this little munchkin is going to have even more grandparents than I originally thought. I'm adding Aunt P (who, after all, IS my godmother) and now Grandpa Doug to the mix.
They were a tight-knit bunch at WBTV when I was a kid. Mama got Aunt P her job there, so a lot of the old-timers from BTV showed up to support Aunt P. When we were kids, Mama would sometimes take us to work with her (particularly on the weekends, if Daddy was working and she couldn't find daycare); we were BTV babies. We'd play at the switchboard, color on old log sheets in her office, or help Sonny with the commercials (pushing in those big tapes made us feel SOOOO important).
For anyone in the area who was around then, you might remember Doug Mayes, an anchor at WBTV. I remember him as a HUGE man (from my perspective as a squirt) who always talked to us like we were grown-ups. Such a nice man. Well, he was there yesterday. Older, a bit more frail, but still with those sparkling blue eyes and gentle smile. Turns out he holds a great deal of affection for my mother! He said she had always been like a daughter to him, and then said, "And I love you guys too; I've always considered you family." Well, I teared right up. What a sweet thing to say!
Turns out this little munchkin is going to have even more grandparents than I originally thought. I'm adding Aunt P (who, after all, IS my godmother) and now Grandpa Doug to the mix.
Can't Keep the Secret Any Longer
Okay, Internets (and specifically Lashonda, E, D & N, & Karly), I can't keep my secret any longer. And Mr. C is already rolling his eyes, even though he doesn't know I'm writing this yet. (As an aside, I can keep OTHER people's secrets, but if it's my own, good fracking luck.)
We're pregnant! Just a little bit now (four weeks and four days), but if things progress as we hope they do, it won't be a little bit for long. My estimated due date (according to online calendars and counting, because I haven't seen the doctor yet) is somewhere between June 26 and June 28, 2008. If he/she is on time, it'll be just one more June b'day in a month that's STUFFED with family birthdays and anniversaries.
[Warning: not for the faint of stomach, or males, particularly Daddy]
So here's the deal. We've been trying for a while, but my cycles didn't become regular (after 10+ years on depoprovera (not recommended, btw) and an IUD) until July. And with Mr. C on the road, we were swinging blind, as it were. After September, we got a Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor; it was STRONGLY recommended by my cousin, who had tried for 18 months to get pregnant without success, and then succeeded in two with this one. We screwed it up traveling and its internal clock set itself about 12 hours behind (no idea how I managed to do THAT) but I figured it out in time to get the "go for it!" signal from the monitor.
We made the appropriate attempts, and I started testing about 3 days before my period was supposed to start. Nothing. I had my annual physical on Monday the 15th, and I chewed the doctor out because (a) I shrunk some more (see, depo for a long time is a BAD BAD thing) and (b) I was worried something was preventing us from getting pregnant and I was SEVERELY feeling my biological clock. Being 34 means you don't have a whole lot of time to fudge around. She referred us to a reproductive endocrinologist, so we could get tested and see if everything was in working order.
My period was due Thursday. Nothing. I got a TEEENSY bit hopeful, but not much, 'cause I've been running more and thought maybe the increased training had screwed up my system. Then, Friday, still nothing and I started to hope a little more. I talked with some girlfriends at the office about the possibility over lunch, and we all crossed our fingers, but I was going to wait to test until Monday. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home, though, and picked up a test just in case. When I got home, I tried it, and there was the FAINTEST of blue lines! When Mr. C came home, I waved it in his face (I doubt he got a very good look at it) and jumped around for a while, and took another one later which was MUCH more clear.
[Okay, all clear]
I'll continue with how no one in our family has a clue on the next post; I gotta go to work now.
We're pregnant! Just a little bit now (four weeks and four days), but if things progress as we hope they do, it won't be a little bit for long. My estimated due date (according to online calendars and counting, because I haven't seen the doctor yet) is somewhere between June 26 and June 28, 2008. If he/she is on time, it'll be just one more June b'day in a month that's STUFFED with family birthdays and anniversaries.
[Warning: not for the faint of stomach, or males, particularly Daddy]
So here's the deal. We've been trying for a while, but my cycles didn't become regular (after 10+ years on depoprovera (not recommended, btw) and an IUD) until July. And with Mr. C on the road, we were swinging blind, as it were. After September, we got a Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor; it was STRONGLY recommended by my cousin, who had tried for 18 months to get pregnant without success, and then succeeded in two with this one. We screwed it up traveling and its internal clock set itself about 12 hours behind (no idea how I managed to do THAT) but I figured it out in time to get the "go for it!" signal from the monitor.
We made the appropriate attempts, and I started testing about 3 days before my period was supposed to start. Nothing. I had my annual physical on Monday the 15th, and I chewed the doctor out because (a) I shrunk some more (see, depo for a long time is a BAD BAD thing) and (b) I was worried something was preventing us from getting pregnant and I was SEVERELY feeling my biological clock. Being 34 means you don't have a whole lot of time to fudge around. She referred us to a reproductive endocrinologist, so we could get tested and see if everything was in working order.
My period was due Thursday. Nothing. I got a TEEENSY bit hopeful, but not much, 'cause I've been running more and thought maybe the increased training had screwed up my system. Then, Friday, still nothing and I started to hope a little more. I talked with some girlfriends at the office about the possibility over lunch, and we all crossed our fingers, but I was going to wait to test until Monday. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home, though, and picked up a test just in case. When I got home, I tried it, and there was the FAINTEST of blue lines! When Mr. C came home, I waved it in his face (I doubt he got a very good look at it) and jumped around for a while, and took another one later which was MUCH more clear.
[Okay, all clear]
I'll continue with how no one in our family has a clue on the next post; I gotta go to work now.
Goodbye, Uncle Buddy
My godfather passed away this weekend at the way-too-young age of 63. His funeral is today.
Uncle Buddy and Daddy were great friends when they were young; both went to the same school and were in the Army in Vietnam. When Mama & Aunt P were both pregnant (Mom was about 5 months more pregnant than Aunt P), they'd stay at home and nap while Daddy & Uncle Buddy went out to play pool.
We spent nearly every weekend with them when L & I were small. Their son, T, was our brother. We'd play bumper pool, or take the matchbox cars up to the kitchen and play Crash Bash Derby (basically, just throwing the cars against one another until only one was left on its wheels). It made a great deal of noise and we had a great time.
I love my Uncle Buddy. He always had a bear hug ready for me, and smelled of tobacco (he was a big smoker). The man could NOT make it through a night without gentle joking with each and every individual there; he just had a desire to make everyone smile and feel welcome, I think, and that was his way of bringing it out in everyone.
He & Aunt P made it to our wedding in Charleston three years ago; I was SOOOOOO happy to see them there! When I moved to Raleigh, we lost touch (at least, the immediate variety). Family and friends sometimes grow apart, and it always stinks, so it was wonderful that they took the trip to see their daughter get married.
Life is filled with regrets, though, and my biggest regret is that I am saying goodbye to Uncle Buddy today, and didn't get to see him again before then. It's all my fault; it's not like I live three hours away any more. I just got busy, like we all do, and let it slide. At least I'll be able to see Aunt P again, and T & his new wife, and let them know I still love them and think of them often, even if life gets away with me.
Uncle Buddy and Daddy were great friends when they were young; both went to the same school and were in the Army in Vietnam. When Mama & Aunt P were both pregnant (Mom was about 5 months more pregnant than Aunt P), they'd stay at home and nap while Daddy & Uncle Buddy went out to play pool.
We spent nearly every weekend with them when L & I were small. Their son, T, was our brother. We'd play bumper pool, or take the matchbox cars up to the kitchen and play Crash Bash Derby (basically, just throwing the cars against one another until only one was left on its wheels). It made a great deal of noise and we had a great time.
I love my Uncle Buddy. He always had a bear hug ready for me, and smelled of tobacco (he was a big smoker). The man could NOT make it through a night without gentle joking with each and every individual there; he just had a desire to make everyone smile and feel welcome, I think, and that was his way of bringing it out in everyone.
He & Aunt P made it to our wedding in Charleston three years ago; I was SOOOOOO happy to see them there! When I moved to Raleigh, we lost touch (at least, the immediate variety). Family and friends sometimes grow apart, and it always stinks, so it was wonderful that they took the trip to see their daughter get married.
Life is filled with regrets, though, and my biggest regret is that I am saying goodbye to Uncle Buddy today, and didn't get to see him again before then. It's all my fault; it's not like I live three hours away any more. I just got busy, like we all do, and let it slide. At least I'll be able to see Aunt P again, and T & his new wife, and let them know I still love them and think of them often, even if life gets away with me.
Work Is Getting Better
Things at work are getting better. One of the members of my team, LK, quit rather unexpectedly (he has so much to do that this job came in last), and I reached a detente with the other team member, Hokie. We agreed on what the third-rail topics are, and agreed that, if either one touches that third rail, the other can call them out, so that should be that. And I talked to my boss a bit about the boys' club mentality around there.
It came up when we were discussing the newly opened position on our team. Someone that Hokie knew before has just been hired by another department, and they were thinking about poaching him. It gave me the perfect opening to talk to my boss about the boys' club, because I don't want to end up being further isolated if these two guys squeeze me out of stuff (meetings, information, training, things like that) as much as the previous pair (of LK & Hokie) did.
It's hard, to talk about that to someone who doesn't really have the background to understand. I get shut out of all SORTS of things there. Even if they're trying to be solicitous, it comes across as isolating, because it makes me look different. Like not wanting to say "balls" in front of me. Sure, you're doing it to be polite, but the net effect is to make me look different from the rest of the crew, and that's not cool. And they make assumptions; LK & Hokie were immediately included in the football pool, but I didn't even know about it until someone mentioned it in passing. What, I can't know anything about football because I'm female? You'd better HOPE you skip me in the NCAA pool; I will WIPE THE FLOOR with you idiots in March.
But at least I now have one ally (my boss). And now I get to try to break through my fears and insecurities to try to build a few more alliances; there are some females there, that aren't part of the team, who I'm going to try to reach out to, to build a friendship with. I'm also thinking about finding someone to run with at lunch a few days a week. It's not hopeless, by any means.
It came up when we were discussing the newly opened position on our team. Someone that Hokie knew before has just been hired by another department, and they were thinking about poaching him. It gave me the perfect opening to talk to my boss about the boys' club, because I don't want to end up being further isolated if these two guys squeeze me out of stuff (meetings, information, training, things like that) as much as the previous pair (of LK & Hokie) did.
It's hard, to talk about that to someone who doesn't really have the background to understand. I get shut out of all SORTS of things there. Even if they're trying to be solicitous, it comes across as isolating, because it makes me look different. Like not wanting to say "balls" in front of me. Sure, you're doing it to be polite, but the net effect is to make me look different from the rest of the crew, and that's not cool. And they make assumptions; LK & Hokie were immediately included in the football pool, but I didn't even know about it until someone mentioned it in passing. What, I can't know anything about football because I'm female? You'd better HOPE you skip me in the NCAA pool; I will WIPE THE FLOOR with you idiots in March.
But at least I now have one ally (my boss). And now I get to try to break through my fears and insecurities to try to build a few more alliances; there are some females there, that aren't part of the team, who I'm going to try to reach out to, to build a friendship with. I'm also thinking about finding someone to run with at lunch a few days a week. It's not hopeless, by any means.
I Ran My First 5K Today!
I did it, y'all! I ran the whole 5K! Well, the whole thing minus a minute of walking or so; 30 seconds when Mr. C managed to snort more of the water at the water break than drink it, and 30 seconds after I left him after he was done (I had breakfast but he didn't, and it made a difference).
They estimated about 13,000 people participating in the Race for the Cure today; it was a boatload of people. We did the non-competitive 5K, 'cause I didn't think I could do the whole thing (especially after losing more than a week to this nasty cold that's STILL trying to hang around; I swear, it must have roots in me by now), and I was nervous about getting in the way of 'real' runners.
We caravanned with some people from the Y, and arrived WAY early. We should've planned a bit better so that we didn't arrive so early, but there you go. After our friends got in line to get their chips for the competitive race, we hung around and people-watched for a while. Meh. Nothing very interesting happened. I did notice a lot of people wore either Asics or Nikes.
So we got up near the front (I had no desire to be BEHIND that huge crowd), stretched for a while, and then they started the race. I thought at first I wasn't going to make it far at all; I had a stitch in my side rather quickly, and was feeling pretty sluggish. But Mr. C kept me going, and after about 10 minutes it got easier.
At the water break, which was about halfway through, Mr. C had some trouble drinking (partly because some idiot cut him off getting to the trash bag for cups) and snorted about half his water. So, while he tried to get the water out of his lungs, we walked a bit. As soon as he was done, we ran, but he was about done in, so when he was finished, I took off again. I ran by myself for a while, and then on the last kilometer I ran with another runner, Tasha, and we talked each other up the hill to the finish line. Yes, these psychotic evil people put a HILL on the last kilometer. I nearly wimped out, but Tasha kept me going and I actually made it!
I didn't make my bet with Mr. C; I have to run an ENTIRE 5K without stopping to get my iTouch. But now I know I can do it! Next thing is a 5K in November, then I'm going to start training for a 10K, and then who knows?
They estimated about 13,000 people participating in the Race for the Cure today; it was a boatload of people. We did the non-competitive 5K, 'cause I didn't think I could do the whole thing (especially after losing more than a week to this nasty cold that's STILL trying to hang around; I swear, it must have roots in me by now), and I was nervous about getting in the way of 'real' runners.
We caravanned with some people from the Y, and arrived WAY early. We should've planned a bit better so that we didn't arrive so early, but there you go.
After our friends got in line to get their chips for the competitive race, we hung around and people-watched for a while. Meh. Nothing very interesting happened. I did notice a lot of people wore either Asics or Nikes.So we got up near the front (I had no desire to be BEHIND that huge crowd), stretched for a while, and then they started the race. I thought at first I wasn't going to make it far at all; I had a stitch in my side rather quickly, and was feeling pretty sluggish. But Mr. C kept me going, and after about 10 minutes it got easier.
At the water break, which was about halfway through, Mr. C had some trouble drinking (partly because some idiot cut him off getting to the trash bag for cups) and snorted about half his water. So, while he tried to get the water out of his lungs, we walked a bit. As soon as he was done, we ran, but he was about done in, so when he was finished, I took off again. I ran by myself for a while, and then on the last kilometer I ran with another runner, Tasha, and we talked each other up the hill to the finish line. Yes, these psychotic evil people put a HILL on the last kilometer. I nearly wimped out, but Tasha kept me going and I actually made it!
I didn't make my bet with Mr. C; I have to run an ENTIRE 5K without stopping to get my iTouch. But now I know I can do it! Next thing is a 5K in November, then I'm going to start training for a 10K, and then who knows?
The Wedding and the Zoo
First, the wedding. It was LOVELY. We all arrived well before the sun, and it was JUST starting to peek over the horizon when everything got going. No officiator, as it were; just D & N and many close friends and family members. They stood in the middle of the roses and proclaimed their love for each other, and we all wept.
I saw some people there I didn't really expect to; it's funny how different circles of friends intersect. Mr. C did the video, and I ran around and got my shoes and pants SOAKING wet taking still photos (and they weren't nearly as good I wanted them to be, but they weren't horrible), and when we were all done, we went to get breakfast and had mimosas.
The zoo was packed with McDonald Americans, as we call 'em; overweight, shoving people out of the way, complaining about the walk (hey, dude, it's a ZOO; they don't put the lions in with the zebras to save you a few steps). Most of the animals were snoozing, but this one guy BROKE MY HEART.
When we arrived at the gorilla compound, he was right up next to the glass, and there was an absolute CRUSH of kids there, all gawking and chattering and tapping on the glass. I worked my way up so I could try to get a shot of him. As I raised the camera, he turned and looked right at me, right into my eyes. You can see the look in that picture: "You're an adult. You can get me out of here."
I just wanted to jump in there and give him a big hug. Yeah, I know, it's as impractical to do that as it is to break in and set him free (and what would I do with a full-grown male western lowland gorilla anyway?). So I'm comforting myself with supporting the zoo and trying to find ways to help gorillas in the wild. I owe it to him.
Hotel Sex!
Every time Mr. C & I go out of town and stay in a hotel, that's what we look forward to most. Well, maybe not MOST, but it's definitely a perk of traveling. If the bed doesn't suck. Which most do.
Okay, really, that's just a bonus for the little trip we're making tonight. Remember, D & N are getting married tomorrow at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m., and we get to be part of it! I've charged my batteries, am packing up the laptop so we can make a full copy of all pictures taken, and we'll be picking up the wine on the way up there.
We are so lucky. Honestly. How many people get to go to a wedding and don't have to dress up? (Oh geez, I hope we don't; it'll be chilly that time of the morning, even here where it's still breaking 90 most days. Now I don't know. Maybe we should just in case? Now I'm going to pack double and that'll drive Mr. C crazy.) Mostly, though, we're happy that we're included in this select group. I sure hope D & N's parents will make it, but I have no idea if they will or not. I'll be sure to dish all the good stories & such!
After the wedding (we're not staying for the reception that evening, 'cause we have to get back to the furrkids before then), we're going to hit the zoo in Asheboro. Mr. C will tease the animals, and I'm going to spend more time renewing my love affair with my camera. If I get any really cool pics, I'll share. Promise.
Okay, really, that's just a bonus for the little trip we're making tonight. Remember, D & N are getting married tomorrow at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m., and we get to be part of it! I've charged my batteries, am packing up the laptop so we can make a full copy of all pictures taken, and we'll be picking up the wine on the way up there.
We are so lucky. Honestly. How many people get to go to a wedding and don't have to dress up? (Oh geez, I hope we don't; it'll be chilly that time of the morning, even here where it's still breaking 90 most days. Now I don't know. Maybe we should just in case? Now I'm going to pack double and that'll drive Mr. C crazy.) Mostly, though, we're happy that we're included in this select group. I sure hope D & N's parents will make it, but I have no idea if they will or not. I'll be sure to dish all the good stories & such!
After the wedding (we're not staying for the reception that evening, 'cause we have to get back to the furrkids before then), we're going to hit the zoo in Asheboro. Mr. C will tease the animals, and I'm going to spend more time renewing my love affair with my camera.
If I get any really cool pics, I'll share. Promise. Thank God for Mr. C
Sorry I've been away so long, you guys. Life has been dull and unhappy, so there's not a lot to talk about. I'm now on day 6 of a nasty cold, and even though it could've been worse (flu, anyone?) it still drains me. And the job's not going well at all. Imagine day after day at a job where you have NO friends, where everyone constantly insults you because you're vegetarian, and liberal, and care about recycling, where you're left out of important informational meetings because "they forgot", where it's a complete boys' club and I am left out of every lunch, every discussion, all those things that bond a team. I could go on and on.
And that's why I'm SOOOO glad I have Mr. C. I finally told him this morning about how unhappy I am at my new job, and his response was EXACTLY what I needed. He just wants to go to work and do percussive maintenance on everyone who doesn't treat me like a human being. Sometimes what you really need is someone to protect you.
And that's why I'm SOOOO glad I have Mr. C. I finally told him this morning about how unhappy I am at my new job, and his response was EXACTLY what I needed. He just wants to go to work and do percussive maintenance on everyone who doesn't treat me like a human being. Sometimes what you really need is someone to protect you.
Pimpin' the Blog
It runs in spurts. EVERYTHING happens at once, and then we end up with long periods of work-run-sleep work-run-sleep. I can't complain; I like a little downtime every once in a while.
We recently decided to get more serious about running (the fact that a certain dog cough Thor cough gained 17 pounds in the year we've been here gave us more motivation), so Mr. C & I have been running every other day. I'd run every day, but (a) I know I have to work up to that and (b) if I do it too quickly I end up feeling like death warmed over. We take the dogs with us, and they LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Don't you love that about dogs? Every. single. thing. is something to get excited about. We see leashes! Yippee! Oooh oooh the truck! Yippee! Oh, another dog peed here! Yippee!
So anyway, how perfect is it that the 2007 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure should be in the first week of October down here? I signed up. I don't think I'll be strong enough to run the whole thing, but I'm sure gonna try.
And that's where you guys come in. It's not mandatory to collect sponsor money for the run, but it'd be nice. I'll even up the ante; if I get to $500, I'll run that entire 5k or die trying! How's that? Your donations could help researchers find the cure for breast cancer AND ensure that I won't be able to MOVE for the next three days.
If you are so moved, here's the donation page. Don't forget to get a receipt so you can write it off on your taxes!
We recently decided to get more serious about running (the fact that a certain dog cough Thor cough gained 17 pounds in the year we've been here gave us more motivation), so Mr. C & I have been running every other day. I'd run every day, but (a) I know I have to work up to that and (b) if I do it too quickly I end up feeling like death warmed over. We take the dogs with us, and they LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Don't you love that about dogs? Every. single. thing. is something to get excited about. We see leashes! Yippee! Oooh oooh the truck! Yippee! Oh, another dog peed here! Yippee!
So anyway, how perfect is it that the 2007 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure should be in the first week of October down here? I signed up. I don't think I'll be strong enough to run the whole thing, but I'm sure gonna try.
And that's where you guys come in. It's not mandatory to collect sponsor money for the run, but it'd be nice. I'll even up the ante; if I get to $500, I'll run that entire 5k or die trying! How's that? Your donations could help researchers find the cure for breast cancer AND ensure that I won't be able to MOVE for the next three days.
If you are so moved, here's the donation page. Don't forget to get a receipt so you can write it off on your taxes!
Happy Ending
Yesterday a cousin of ours came down to visit the family 'round here for a few days, and we all went out to dinner. We sat around and joked and played with the newest member of the family (A's son TJ, who is almost 8 months old and cute as the dickens), and then my cousin followed us home so she could see the furrkids and the new digs (it's been a while since she's been down here).
We drove up, and the dog was gone! There was a very nice note in Mr. C's truck:
We drove up, and the dog was gone! There was a very nice note in Mr. C's truck:
Dear Good Samaritans,We were THRILLED! We had been playing "what-if" games all evening, trying to decide what to do if his owner didn't show up. Do we keep him? Do we foster until we find a new home? Do we take him to the shelter? None of the solutions were right: the shelter would just put him down, he wasn't really a good fit with our hyper pack, and finding him a new home was going to be difficult because of his age, size and health issues.
Thank you for taking care of our dog. He got out of his pen the first night we brought him to NC on Sunday.
Thanks again and if I owe you anything please call.
So anyway, we called and gave the owner an update on the visit to the vet and the shots he'd received. They said it was their 9-year-old son's dog, and apparently he was quite the escape artist. You're kidding, right? This old arthritic dog who could barely make it a quarter of a mile? They had just moved to NC, and were building a pen for the dog when he took off. Wonder if he objected to the pen? They were very nice, and were just thrilled that the dog hadn't decided to go back to his old home.
They didn't see our flyers, and no one told them about us; they were just driving through nearby neighborhoods looking for the dog, and saw him hanging out at our house with food, water and a bed. I can only imagine how nuts Thor & Baldor went when the guy drove up.
So see? All's well that ends well.
Suckers Live Here. Apply Inside.
That's what the sign outside our home must say, in furrkid speak. We pick up more strays than I did when I was dating. 
Mr. C had to take his truck in to get the AC fixed. When he got home, there was a new dog lying in our driveway. Old fellow, friendly and sweet, not bothered by the two doofuses who were barking their heads off at him. C'mon! We wanna play with him! Why can't we play with him? Mr. C looked, but there was no tag (but there was a very nice and fairly new collar), so, since his day was already ruined by spending six hours at the dealership, he took the dog to a nearby vet (not our vet, who's about 35 min away on a good traffic day) to have him scanned for a microchip. No dice.
We went ahead & had him checked out for major problems, and gave him a rabies shot. He has heartworms, but the vet doesn't think it's a very bad infestation and thinks some heartworm treatment might knock it out. He's middle-aged (we think probably older than that, but that was what the vet guessed according to his teeth), arthritic, and good with cats (that vet hospital has 13 different resident cats that just wander around. And they call ME the Cat Lady) and other dogs.
We printed up some flyers and tried to take him around the neighborhood a bit to see if anyone knows him, but he didn't make it very far; his arthritis is just too bad for him to get much out of a walk. He's a big boy, 104 pounds, and that probably doesn't make the arthritis feel much better. He refused most food but accepted water, so we're hopeful that we'll find his home in a couple of days (we're hoping that means he just wasn't hungry, which would hopefully indicate he was fed recently; he's way too stiff and slow to catch his own food).
Tomorrow Mr. C will go around to the neighboring farms and the neighborhood across the way and see if he hits any pay dirt. The dog's a very sweet dog, but we simply can't take any more pets (and he's old and wouldn't be a good fit for our pack, who would want to play with him all the time). I've posted on Craigslist and PetFinder and FindFido, so we'll see if anyone knows him. And tomorrow we'll call local vets and the pound and the Humane Society and see if anyone's looking for him.
Keep your fingers crossed!
Mr. C had to take his truck in to get the AC fixed. When he got home, there was a new dog lying in our driveway. Old fellow, friendly and sweet, not bothered by the two doofuses who were barking their heads off at him. C'mon! We wanna play with him! Why can't we play with him? Mr. C looked, but there was no tag (but there was a very nice and fairly new collar), so, since his day was already ruined by spending six hours at the dealership, he took the dog to a nearby vet (not our vet, who's about 35 min away on a good traffic day) to have him scanned for a microchip. No dice.
We went ahead & had him checked out for major problems, and gave him a rabies shot. He has heartworms, but the vet doesn't think it's a very bad infestation and thinks some heartworm treatment might knock it out. He's middle-aged (we think probably older than that, but that was what the vet guessed according to his teeth), arthritic, and good with cats (that vet hospital has 13 different resident cats that just wander around. And they call ME the Cat Lady) and other dogs.
We printed up some flyers and tried to take him around the neighborhood a bit to see if anyone knows him, but he didn't make it very far; his arthritis is just too bad for him to get much out of a walk. He's a big boy, 104 pounds, and that probably doesn't make the arthritis feel much better. He refused most food but accepted water, so we're hopeful that we'll find his home in a couple of days (we're hoping that means he just wasn't hungry, which would hopefully indicate he was fed recently; he's way too stiff and slow to catch his own food).
Tomorrow Mr. C will go around to the neighboring farms and the neighborhood across the way and see if he hits any pay dirt. The dog's a very sweet dog, but we simply can't take any more pets (and he's old and wouldn't be a good fit for our pack, who would want to play with him all the time). I've posted on Craigslist and PetFinder and FindFido, so we'll see if anyone knows him. And tomorrow we'll call local vets and the pound and the Humane Society and see if anyone's looking for him.
Keep your fingers crossed!
So Excited
Some dear friends of ours are getting married at the end of September. It's not just any wedding, though. It's at the crack of dawn, in a rose garden, with just a few friends (D called it "commando" and I hope she & N don't REALLY mean they're going commando, although if they do it without, um, sharing I guess I can't tease). Oh, and it's not legal in NC just yet.
I know there are people out there who don't agree with gay marriage. I don't particularly care. These two have been madly passionately in love much longer than we've been friends, and they are PERFECT together. Like chocolate and peanut butter perfect, y'all. Summer and red toenail polish perfect. They BELONG together. And even if the State is going to throw obstacles in their way, I'm not, and I don't honestly believe that God put them together to say, "Okay, that's all you get. Now leave the table." He created D & N, He brought them together, and He's got to be as excited about this as the rest of us.
Of course, Mr. C is going to have to make his obligatory jokes about how, now that they're married, he & I have to get a divorce (you know, 'cause gay marriage will destroy the institution of marriage). Sigh. D & N have heard it 8,374,622 times, so I guess one more won't hurt, right? Honestly, they're probably as tired of me sighing at the joke as they are of the joke itself. They say you get more predictable as you get older, right? At least I'm fairly certain he'll refrain from that joke until after the ceremony, 'cause if he shares during, it'll be recorded for posterity (he's video-taping the whole event for those who can't make this oh-my-God-how-early-is-it ceremony). :> I'm doing still photographs. Hey, when you're doing things on the cheap, you get photographers like me!
All teasing aside, though, I am SOOOOO humbled and honored and excited that we've been asked to join the celebration and participate. I love these two dearly, and the thought of being there when they say their vows gives me chills.
Now I just have to figure out what a good present is, when they aren't registered anywhere. Sure, I could ask, but what's the fun in that?!?
I know there are people out there who don't agree with gay marriage. I don't particularly care. These two have been madly passionately in love much longer than we've been friends, and they are PERFECT together. Like chocolate and peanut butter perfect, y'all. Summer and red toenail polish perfect. They BELONG together. And even if the State is going to throw obstacles in their way, I'm not, and I don't honestly believe that God put them together to say, "Okay, that's all you get. Now leave the table." He created D & N, He brought them together, and He's got to be as excited about this as the rest of us.
Of course, Mr. C is going to have to make his obligatory jokes about how, now that they're married, he & I have to get a divorce (you know, 'cause gay marriage will destroy the institution of marriage). Sigh. D & N have heard it 8,374,622 times, so I guess one more won't hurt, right? Honestly, they're probably as tired of me sighing at the joke as they are of the joke itself. They say you get more predictable as you get older, right? At least I'm fairly certain he'll refrain from that joke until after the ceremony, 'cause if he shares during, it'll be recorded for posterity (he's video-taping the whole event for those who can't make this oh-my-God-how-early-is-it ceremony). :> I'm doing still photographs. Hey, when you're doing things on the cheap, you get photographers like me!
All teasing aside, though, I am SOOOOO humbled and honored and excited that we've been asked to join the celebration and participate. I love these two dearly, and the thought of being there when they say their vows gives me chills.
Now I just have to figure out what a good present is, when they aren't registered anywhere. Sure, I could ask, but what's the fun in that?!?
Another Crisis
If it seems lately like we're reeling from crisis to crisis like a drunken sailor on his first night in port, you might be right. Try it from THIS vantage point to see how much fun it is.
We almost lost Logan this week. I've heard about cats and crystals (no, not meth) but didn't really think our cats were in any danger. I was wrong. Logan got crystals that eventually completely blocked his urethra, and like most cats, he kept it quiet until it was nearly too late. Mr. C got home from a business trip about five hours before I would've been home, though, and those five hours might've made the difference.
So anyway. Mr. C gets home and finds a Logan who is barely moving and squalls if you so much as touch him, so he bundled him into the carrier & raced for the vet. And I do mean RACED. He arrived, and they were ready; maybe two or three minutes after he arrived, the vet figured out what was going on and took him back to be catheterized.
I thought at this point it wasn't that big a deal. At least he didn't eat something he shouldn't have, right? Wrong. This was just as bad, because the toxins were building up in his bloodstream and his kidneys were in danger of completely shutting down.
Neither of us slept very well Thursday night. We were both afraid that, if he didn't die that night, we might have to put him down because of kidney damage.
I called the vet Friday morning as SOON as they opened. They said he'd had something to eat and drink, and was doing as well as could be expected. We talked to the vet a couple of hours later, and he said Logan was recovering well but he'd need to stay another day to allow them to continue to flush his kidneys. I went there after work and stayed with him until they kicked me out. They removed his catheter (which they had to sew in), and gave him some more fluids, and ran me out. The vet came by there about midnight that night to see how much he'd been able to pee after the catheter was removed (just like when a human's in the hospital; they don't let you leave until you can pee).
We picked him up yesterday morning, with three drugs and a whole host of instructions. We had to take him back yesterday evening to have more subcutaneous fluids put in, but that's been it so far.
He seems to be feeling okay. He gets cranky when Loki messes with him, but he's eating and drinking and peeing. And sleeping a lot, but he's a cat. We think the meds are making him sleep a little more than he might otherwise, or it could be that his body is making him sleep more to recuperate. All indications, though, are that he's going to be fine. No permanent kidney damage, which is a HUGE relief. He'll have to go on special kitty food for the rest of his life (although we're not going to start the switch until he's past this hurdle), and I'm going to change the diets for the rest of them to include more canned food (even though I've been avoiding it 'cause the recall scared me, but at this point it's a toss of the dice and there are some that are safer than others) so that hopefully no one else will end up in this predicament.
Just so you know: if you have a cat, and they strain in the litter box, it's probably NOT constipation but an indication of crystals. Get him to the vet ASAP. It's cheaper than the bill we'll probably get, trust me!
We almost lost Logan this week. I've heard about cats and crystals (no, not meth) but didn't really think our cats were in any danger. I was wrong. Logan got crystals that eventually completely blocked his urethra, and like most cats, he kept it quiet until it was nearly too late. Mr. C got home from a business trip about five hours before I would've been home, though, and those five hours might've made the difference.
So anyway. Mr. C gets home and finds a Logan who is barely moving and squalls if you so much as touch him, so he bundled him into the carrier & raced for the vet. And I do mean RACED. He arrived, and they were ready; maybe two or three minutes after he arrived, the vet figured out what was going on and took him back to be catheterized.
I thought at this point it wasn't that big a deal. At least he didn't eat something he shouldn't have, right? Wrong. This was just as bad, because the toxins were building up in his bloodstream and his kidneys were in danger of completely shutting down.
Neither of us slept very well Thursday night. We were both afraid that, if he didn't die that night, we might have to put him down because of kidney damage.
I called the vet Friday morning as SOON as they opened. They said he'd had something to eat and drink, and was doing as well as could be expected. We talked to the vet a couple of hours later, and he said Logan was recovering well but he'd need to stay another day to allow them to continue to flush his kidneys. I went there after work and stayed with him until they kicked me out.
They removed his catheter (which they had to sew in), and gave him some more fluids, and ran me out. The vet came by there about midnight that night to see how much he'd been able to pee after the catheter was removed (just like when a human's in the hospital; they don't let you leave until you can pee).We picked him up yesterday morning, with three drugs and a whole host of instructions. We had to take him back yesterday evening to have more subcutaneous fluids put in, but that's been it so far.
He seems to be feeling okay. He gets cranky when Loki messes with him, but he's eating and drinking and peeing. And sleeping a lot, but he's a cat.
We think the meds are making him sleep a little more than he might otherwise, or it could be that his body is making him sleep more to recuperate. All indications, though, are that he's going to be fine. No permanent kidney damage, which is a HUGE relief. He'll have to go on special kitty food for the rest of his life (although we're not going to start the switch until he's past this hurdle), and I'm going to change the diets for the rest of them to include more canned food (even though I've been avoiding it 'cause the recall scared me, but at this point it's a toss of the dice and there are some that are safer than others) so that hopefully no one else will end up in this predicament.Just so you know: if you have a cat, and they strain in the litter box, it's probably NOT constipation but an indication of crystals. Get him to the vet ASAP. It's cheaper than the bill we'll probably get, trust me!
Pitiful
Let me first preface this little story by saying this: as a rule, I don't even LIKE Canada geese. They're nasty, messy, cranky and everywhere down here. And I do mean everywhere; it's always a surprise when I wake up and one's NOT in the bedroom or maybe making coffee (and a mess) in the kitchen.
That being said, though, my heart just breaks for some of the little suckers that hang out here near my new office. We're in a part of the city that's heavily developed, but where they did take the time to preserve green spaces (as opposed to uptown, which is just lots of concrete, steel and glass). There are office buildings everywhere you look down here, sitting cozily side-by-side with all sorts of retail.
This building in particular is new, but not NEW (you know?) and the area it's in has been developed for more than twenty years, so it's not like there were forests and ponds out here last week or anything. Every day, though, around lunchtime, I see a flock of Canada geese hanging out in the street next to this building. Specifically, hanging out in a MUD PUDDLE on the street. (I think it's runoff from the in-ground irrigation system.)
They stand in it, drink it, even nap in it. Every once in a while they'll wander further out into the street. Sometimes they get an angry honk from a driver, but most drivers are considerate and either wait them out or sneak by. A few go up onto the lawn next to the street for a snooze, but most stay there. In that mud puddle. Like it's the best water source they can find.
I can't figure it out. Did they get lost one day and see the mud puddle and decide that would be good enough? Did they have a really great spot that was developed a few years ago, so they just decided to keep hanging out in the same place? I dunno, but seeing the little guys just hanging out in a mud puddle makes me want to weep.
I've said it before (maybe not to YOU guys, but trust me, those who know me have heard this utterance many times) and I'll say it again: humans are a POX on this planet.
That being said, though, my heart just breaks for some of the little suckers that hang out here near my new office. We're in a part of the city that's heavily developed, but where they did take the time to preserve green spaces (as opposed to uptown, which is just lots of concrete, steel and glass). There are office buildings everywhere you look down here, sitting cozily side-by-side with all sorts of retail.
This building in particular is new, but not NEW (you know?) and the area it's in has been developed for more than twenty years, so it's not like there were forests and ponds out here last week or anything. Every day, though, around lunchtime, I see a flock of Canada geese hanging out in the street next to this building. Specifically, hanging out in a MUD PUDDLE on the street. (I think it's runoff from the in-ground irrigation system.)
They stand in it, drink it, even nap in it. Every once in a while they'll wander further out into the street. Sometimes they get an angry honk from a driver, but most drivers are considerate and either wait them out or sneak by. A few go up onto the lawn next to the street for a snooze, but most stay there. In that mud puddle. Like it's the best water source they can find.
I can't figure it out. Did they get lost one day and see the mud puddle and decide that would be good enough? Did they have a really great spot that was developed a few years ago, so they just decided to keep hanging out in the same place? I dunno, but seeing the little guys just hanging out in a mud puddle makes me want to weep.
I've said it before (maybe not to YOU guys, but trust me, those who know me have heard this utterance many times) and I'll say it again: humans are a POX on this planet.
Our Cats Have Super Powers
We found out this weekend that at least two of our cats have super powers. Who knew? We thought they were just furry slugs.
Logan and Loki were playing Sunday afternoon. By "playing," I mean Loki was pouncing on Logan and Logan was trying to avoid him. Karma is a harsh mistress, Logan. Logan was in front of the large water dish and a little to the right of it, doing a one-pawed defense to keep Loki off his back. (Now remember, Logan's blind; he does all this with his impressive mastery of kung fu, I suppose.) Loki gathered himself and leapt, and Logan just leeeaaannnned over to one side, allowing Loki to fly right past him and directly into the water dish. SPLASH!
We're not sure exactly which super power he has. Is it his super hearing? Did he hear Loki's muscles bunching for a pounce? Is he psychic, so that he read whichever neuron was firing in Loki's head?
And little Loki, it turns out, can walk on water. He DIDN'T get out of the water dish without a bath, but this morning he displayed his walk-on-water powers to good effect. I was getting ready for work (read: heels and a skirt), and had just finished, um, using the facilities, when Loki decided to (I'm assuming anyway) jump from the toilet to the countertop in the bathroom, since the counter itself is just a BIT too high for him to leap to just yet. Unfortunately, he jumped before I could do anything, so he was set for a nasty bath. Somehow, though, he jumped IN and then OUT without getting a full bath; just one paw was nastified, something he ran off to take care of. Probably my rolling-on-the-floor laughter helped him decide that the OTHER side of the house was the right place to take care of this.
Logan and Loki were playing Sunday afternoon. By "playing," I mean Loki was pouncing on Logan and Logan was trying to avoid him. Karma is a harsh mistress, Logan. Logan was in front of the large water dish and a little to the right of it, doing a one-pawed defense to keep Loki off his back. (Now remember, Logan's blind; he does all this with his impressive mastery of kung fu, I suppose.) Loki gathered himself and leapt, and Logan just leeeaaannnned over to one side, allowing Loki to fly right past him and directly into the water dish. SPLASH!
We're not sure exactly which super power he has. Is it his super hearing? Did he hear Loki's muscles bunching for a pounce? Is he psychic, so that he read whichever neuron was firing in Loki's head?
And little Loki, it turns out, can walk on water. He DIDN'T get out of the water dish without a bath, but this morning he displayed his walk-on-water powers to good effect. I was getting ready for work (read: heels and a skirt), and had just finished, um, using the facilities, when Loki decided to (I'm assuming anyway) jump from the toilet to the countertop in the bathroom, since the counter itself is just a BIT too high for him to leap to just yet. Unfortunately, he jumped before I could do anything, so he was set for a nasty bath. Somehow, though, he jumped IN and then OUT without getting a full bath; just one paw was nastified, something he ran off to take care of. Probably my rolling-on-the-floor laughter helped him decide that the OTHER side of the house was the right place to take care of this.
It's the Little Things That Make You Crazy
I must've earned some bad karma when I squished those two spiders the other day. I'm sorry! But they broke the cardinal spider rule: you enter my house, you come towards me, and I will not be held responsible for wigging out and making spider pate out of you. Yesterday and at least part of today has been just one thing after another.
And it's not big stuff either, but when it piles on you just want to crawl under your desk in the fetal position and hide there for a fewdays weeks.
It started yesterday when I got about 5 min from the house only to realize I'd left my lunch on the counter. And I did NOT want to have to go out in 100+ degree heat for lunch, so I turned around and just BARELY made it to work on time. Sure, they'd probably be cool with me being 5 or 10 min late once in a while, but I'm not.
Then, when I did get to work, I forgot stuff in my car and had to race up & down stairs to get it. I spent the entire day waiting on information that never showed (yes, I had PLENTY of other things to do, but I wanted that data, dang it!).
When I left to go home, I got in my brand new car to find the radio didn't work. At all. So I drove to the dealership, which is on my way home, and they gave me a loaner while they look at it today. 'Cause the service guys do NOT wait around (and I can't blame them; I don't either).
This made me late to get to the gym, but I promised myself I'd start going and figured that flaking on the first day back would be kinda a bad idea, so I went anyway. And ended up on a treadmill next to a guy who sweated all over his machine. And mine. And my WATER BOTTLE UGH!
Then, when I was done, I had to stop to get gas because the loaner only had a quarter tank when I picked it up (oops on them!), and the pump I stopped at didn't work.
When I finally got home, the dogs were going nuts so I went out to spend some time with them, and Baldor promptly scraped my leg bouncing up and down. And then I set my alarm wrong (set it for p.m. instead of a.m.) so I woke up half an hour late this morning.
See? Just little things. Nothing bad like getting a phone call at 5:13 in the morning about Daddy. Just little things.
And I'm going to keep telling myself that until either something goes right or I end up in the asylum. Whichever comes first.
And it's not big stuff either, but when it piles on you just want to crawl under your desk in the fetal position and hide there for a few
It started yesterday when I got about 5 min from the house only to realize I'd left my lunch on the counter. And I did NOT want to have to go out in 100+ degree heat for lunch, so I turned around and just BARELY made it to work on time. Sure, they'd probably be cool with me being 5 or 10 min late once in a while, but I'm not.
Then, when I did get to work, I forgot stuff in my car and had to race up & down stairs to get it. I spent the entire day waiting on information that never showed (yes, I had PLENTY of other things to do, but I wanted that data, dang it!).
When I left to go home, I got in my brand new car to find the radio didn't work. At all. So I drove to the dealership, which is on my way home, and they gave me a loaner while they look at it today. 'Cause the service guys do NOT wait around (and I can't blame them; I don't either).
This made me late to get to the gym, but I promised myself I'd start going and figured that flaking on the first day back would be kinda a bad idea, so I went anyway. And ended up on a treadmill next to a guy who sweated all over his machine. And mine. And my WATER BOTTLE UGH!
Then, when I was done, I had to stop to get gas because the loaner only had a quarter tank when I picked it up (oops on them!), and the pump I stopped at didn't work.
When I finally got home, the dogs were going nuts so I went out to spend some time with them, and Baldor promptly scraped my leg bouncing up and down. And then I set my alarm wrong (set it for p.m. instead of a.m.) so I woke up half an hour late this morning.
See? Just little things. Nothing bad like getting a phone call at 5:13 in the morning about Daddy. Just little things.
And I'm going to keep telling myself that until either something goes right or I end up in the asylum. Whichever comes first.
Oh Yeah, the Whole JOB Thing
Yes, I love my new job. I'll love it more when I'm done with the evaluating-the-app and start with the build-the-app process, but I still love it. The people are VERY nice, my boss is a cool guy, and they have some kick-ass equipment here. I have more space on ONE drive on my OWN computer than I had on some SERVERS at the last place (ahem, AP)!
Once I adjust to actually commuting to work again, I think I'll be fine. I do miss photography, though; I need to get adjusted to this time thing so I can start taking pictures again...
Once I adjust to actually commuting to work again, I think I'll be fine. I do miss photography, though; I need to get adjusted to this time thing so I can start taking pictures again...
More Stress is Better, Right?
What are some of the things they ask when they're estimating your stress level? Any deaths/births/additions to the family, have you moved in the last year, have you gotten married or divorced, that kind of thing. Well, if they don't ask "did you start a new job" or "did you buy a new car" they ought to.
Mr. C & I have been comparing cars for a while now, 'cause there's no way to fit a car seat in a roadster. No, we're not pregnant yet. Sit down. We decided we'd go shopping and test driving to see if we could narrow down the list of SIX manufacturers we wanted to explore. I am my mother's daughter.
They kicked Daddy out of the hospital Friday morning, so while he was going home to get a nap or three, we went shopping. First stop was the credit union, and if anyone out there's thinking of buying a new car, you have GOT to join a credit union and get the loan through them. It was a SIGNIFICANTLY better rate than anyone else could get us, and the process was an absolute breeze. The only way they could've made it easier would've been to just hand us money when we walked in the door and said, "No, really, no need to pay this back." Have I mentioned that we LOVE LOVE LOVE our credit union?
So, armed with the knowledge of interest rates and terms and all that, off we went. Actually, before we started test driving, we went to Carmax to get a price on the BMW. It wasn't great, but it was enough to pay it off and give us a little bit for gas ;> . First stop was the Volvo dealership. Volvo was the top manufacturer on my list, but we had a list of four cars to try and I wasn't sure what kinds of deals we could get.
We started with the XC90, their SUV. SWEET ride, so smooth and comfy. All sorts of gadgets and gizmos to make the geek in me happy (and the key was kinda like a switchblade (pops out with the hit of a button on the keyfob) so Mr. C & I were playing with it for a bit), plenty of room; we loved it. Except for the gas mileage. It gets about what any mid-sized SUV gets, which means the mileage sucks and since I plan to commute in this car I need something better. We tried the S40, but it doesn't have the smooth ride the XC90 does, and it was much much smaller. Blech. Mr. C flat out REFUSED to let me try the XC70 or the V70, which are wagons, which meant Volvo was getting squeezed out of the running.
Then, the salesman pointed me to the S80, which is a sedan but larger than the S40, and is built on the frame of the XC90. Sure enough, it has a SMOOOOOOTH ride and lots of goodies. We drove it, liked it, and Mr. C started haggling to see how far down we could get the price. Sure, I had other manufacturers on the list, but when you find the right car, you KNOW.
We picked it up the next morning, after they had a chance to gas it up and detail it. Not that a car with a total of 234 miles needs much detailing, but I appreciated it. Gets all the other test-driver cooties out, at any rate. We sold the BMW to Carmax, 'cause the Volvo dealership couldn't give us the same deal, and the salesman picked us up there in my new car! (We forgot the garage door opener, natch, and had to go back to Carmax later to pick it up. Sigh.)
I love my new wheels, y'all. And it's only $1 more than what we were paying for the BMW (and another $4 in car insurance), so I now have a back seat for $5 more a month! :> This is the first car, though, where the exterior design really didn't play into the purchasing decision; I bought it for the safety and reliability, and the ride, and the room (for carseats and strollers and such).
Does that mean I'm growing up, or just growing old?
Mr. C & I have been comparing cars for a while now, 'cause there's no way to fit a car seat in a roadster. No, we're not pregnant yet. Sit down. We decided we'd go shopping and test driving to see if we could narrow down the list of SIX manufacturers we wanted to explore. I am my mother's daughter.
They kicked Daddy out of the hospital Friday morning, so while he was going home to get a nap or three, we went shopping. First stop was the credit union, and if anyone out there's thinking of buying a new car, you have GOT to join a credit union and get the loan through them. It was a SIGNIFICANTLY better rate than anyone else could get us, and the process was an absolute breeze. The only way they could've made it easier would've been to just hand us money when we walked in the door and said, "No, really, no need to pay this back." Have I mentioned that we LOVE LOVE LOVE our credit union?
So, armed with the knowledge of interest rates and terms and all that, off we went. Actually, before we started test driving, we went to Carmax to get a price on the BMW. It wasn't great, but it was enough to pay it off and give us a little bit for gas ;> . First stop was the Volvo dealership. Volvo was the top manufacturer on my list, but we had a list of four cars to try and I wasn't sure what kinds of deals we could get.
We started with the XC90, their SUV. SWEET ride, so smooth and comfy. All sorts of gadgets and gizmos to make the geek in me happy (and the key was kinda like a switchblade (pops out with the hit of a button on the keyfob) so Mr. C & I were playing with it for a bit), plenty of room; we loved it. Except for the gas mileage. It gets about what any mid-sized SUV gets, which means the mileage sucks and since I plan to commute in this car I need something better. We tried the S40, but it doesn't have the smooth ride the XC90 does, and it was much much smaller. Blech. Mr. C flat out REFUSED to let me try the XC70 or the V70, which are wagons, which meant Volvo was getting squeezed out of the running.
Then, the salesman pointed me to the S80, which is a sedan but larger than the S40, and is built on the frame of the XC90. Sure enough, it has a SMOOOOOOTH ride and lots of goodies. We drove it, liked it, and Mr. C started haggling to see how far down we could get the price. Sure, I had other manufacturers on the list, but when you find the right car, you KNOW.
We picked it up the next morning, after they had a chance to gas it up and detail it. Not that a car with a total of 234 miles needs much detailing, but I appreciated it.
Gets all the other test-driver cooties out, at any rate. We sold the BMW to Carmax, 'cause the Volvo dealership couldn't give us the same deal, and the salesman picked us up there in my new car! (We forgot the garage door opener, natch, and had to go back to Carmax later to pick it up. Sigh.)I love my new wheels, y'all. And it's only $1 more than what we were paying for the BMW (and another $4 in car insurance), so I now have a back seat for $5 more a month! :> This is the first car, though, where the exterior design really didn't play into the purchasing decision; I bought it for the safety and reliability, and the ride, and the room (for carseats and strollers and such).
Does that mean I'm growing up, or just growing old?
Freezing My Hiney Off!
I'm at the hospital with Daddy again today. He's having a nap; he's more tired today and the doctor thinks there are three things working on him to make him tired:
- He's on new meds and they have a tendency to make you tired at first
- He's still got this cold and hasn't been sleeping well
- Oh yeah, the whole HEART ATTACK thing just a couple of days ago!
I now know where I get my hot nature from; Daddy likes it C-C-C-COLD in here! He's fine; he's got a blanket & is all wrapped up nice 'n' toasty. I, however, am in shorts and a t-shirt and I swear I can see my breath! Ah well, it gives me something to tease him about. More likely, this is karmic retribution for all the times I've made Mr. C freeze HIS hiney off because I'm hot.
Still lots of visitors and calls; people seem to think very highly of my Daddy for some reason or another. The plan is still to let him go home tomorrow. He might have to get Roto-Rootered one more time, though, 'cause the doc said this morning there's a 95% blockage in one of the smaller arteries behind his heart that they want to tackle soon. He gets to recover from this one first, though. And it's possible that the medication he's added and the dietary changes he's making will help that one shrink too.
I'm going to do some Reiki on it. I'm only a level 1, but I can still help. And my big sister told me another way to pull Reiki that feels more natural to me, so maybe I'll be able to do more good. Wouldn't it be nice if they wanted to go find that blockage only to see that it's dissolved quietly? :> I know, I know, but I can hope, right?
Daddy keeps saying he doesn't know why God wants him to stay around but figures there's a good reason why he's still on this side of the dirt. I figure God just didn't want to deal with me if he went ahead & took him now! :>
Update on Daddy
Well, Daddy's doing as well as I'd hoped. The doctor showed up around noonish to give us the latest and greatest. His prognosis is excellent; he should come home in a couple of days. Color me grateful and happy!
He gets to do the usual fun things people who survive a heart attack get to do: he'll have to take new medicines and change his diet. He can't go right back to the Y, but has to start slow and build up his strength again. He can't go to work for 4 weeks, the thought of which sends us into gales of laughter. Really, that means he can't do the stressful stuff and has to let my sister and mom handle those situations. He can hit the links in a week after he gets home, and I expect he'll do some fishing with a couple of good friends and Mr. C.
They moved him into a room today, one without a shower. He's been DYING for a shower, so the nurse got the doctor to cut him orders to move to a room with a shower. They wouldn't have done that no matter how much he cajoled them unless they felt like he was doing well, because you have to take off the heart monitor to have a shower. That as much as anything else tells me the doctors feel very good about where he is.
He did walk all the way down the hall by himself today, which frankly stunned me. I knew he was feeling better, but to walk that much just a day after a heart attack? Wowzers. The man is a rock star! Okay, yes, I'm prejudiced; he and Mama are already two of my best friends and favorite people, so I see things with a bit of color in them. His color looks better, though, and he has more energy; you all should've SEEN him waiting for the doctor to show up this morning. He was trying to be patient but he was absolutely BRIMMING with energy and chomping at the bit to let the doctor SEE how much better he was feeling.
This all has me so happy and grateful that I'm positively giddy. I'm thoroughly enjoying the time I get to spend with him & Mom; I feel so useful and wanted! I've also been spending more time praying (probably not as much as I should), trying to let God and the Universe know how very grateful I am and how happy I am. I know that I won't EVER be ready to say goodbye to Mama or Daddy, but the longer I can put it off, the more time I can spend with them, and time spent with them is time well spent indeed. What better thing to do with our lives, than spend them with those we love?
All y'all, go right now and tell someone that you love how much you care for them. You might never get a better chance.
He gets to do the usual fun things people who survive a heart attack get to do: he'll have to take new medicines and change his diet. He can't go right back to the Y, but has to start slow and build up his strength again. He can't go to work for 4 weeks, the thought of which sends us into gales of laughter. Really, that means he can't do the stressful stuff and has to let my sister and mom handle those situations. He can hit the links in a week after he gets home, and I expect he'll do some fishing with a couple of good friends and Mr. C.
They moved him into a room today, one without a shower. He's been DYING for a shower, so the nurse got the doctor to cut him orders to move to a room with a shower. They wouldn't have done that no matter how much he cajoled them unless they felt like he was doing well, because you have to take off the heart monitor to have a shower. That as much as anything else tells me the doctors feel very good about where he is.
He did walk all the way down the hall by himself today, which frankly stunned me. I knew he was feeling better, but to walk that much just a day after a heart attack? Wowzers. The man is a rock star! Okay, yes, I'm prejudiced; he and Mama are already two of my best friends and favorite people, so I see things with a bit of color in them.
His color looks better, though, and he has more energy; you all should've SEEN him waiting for the doctor to show up this morning. He was trying to be patient but he was absolutely BRIMMING with energy and chomping at the bit to let the doctor SEE how much better he was feeling.This all has me so happy and grateful that I'm positively giddy. I'm thoroughly enjoying the time I get to spend with him & Mom; I feel so useful and wanted! I've also been spending more time praying (probably not as much as I should), trying to let God and the Universe know how very grateful I am and how happy I am. I know that I won't EVER be ready to say goodbye to Mama or Daddy, but the longer I can put it off, the more time I can spend with them, and time spent with them is time well spent indeed. What better thing to do with our lives, than spend them with those we love?
All y'all, go right now and tell someone that you love how much you care for them. You might never get a better chance.
Making Assumptions
Funny how immediate happenings will color one's perceptions. The doctors kicked us out of Daddy's room for about an hour while they removed some stuff from his surgery earlier, so Mom & I went home to get showers. Since I can do anything I need to from here, I came back to hang out with Daddy while Mom gets some work done so they can pay all these medical bills that'll show up soon.
On the way home (it was about 1 in the afternoon), I saw people in the drive thrus at Burger King & Wendy's & Hardee's & McDonalds. I wanted to yell out the window, "Don't eat that! Don't you know what that food will do to your heart? Do you want to have a heart attack at 5 a.m. like Daddy did?" They won't liste, though; who would? Nothing's going to happen to THEM, you see. THEY are special.
Then, on the way back, I stopped to get some gas. I was in the BMW, which even when it's dirty still gets plenty of looks, and saw someone glance at me and grimace. "That privileged little girl, driving around in the BMW Daddy bought for her [he didn't, btw, but you all know that]; what does she care? She has everything." Would they still say and think such things if they knew that tomorrow I'll be unemployed (even if it's just a few days), and that I held my Daddy's hand this morning while he suffered the pain of a heart attack?
On the way home (it was about 1 in the afternoon), I saw people in the drive thrus at Burger King & Wendy's & Hardee's & McDonalds. I wanted to yell out the window, "Don't eat that! Don't you know what that food will do to your heart? Do you want to have a heart attack at 5 a.m. like Daddy did?" They won't liste, though; who would? Nothing's going to happen to THEM, you see. THEY are special.
Then, on the way back, I stopped to get some gas. I was in the BMW, which even when it's dirty still gets plenty of looks, and saw someone glance at me and grimace. "That privileged little girl, driving around in the BMW Daddy bought for her [he didn't, btw, but you all know that]; what does she care? She has everything." Would they still say and think such things if they knew that tomorrow I'll be unemployed (even if it's just a few days), and that I held my Daddy's hand this morning while he suffered the pain of a heart attack?
Heart Attack!
I got a call from my mom today at 5:13 a.m. Daddy was having chest pains and the EMTs were there. She'd call back when they knew which hospital they were headed to.
I brushed my teeth ('cause if there's anything that'll send Daddy to the other side, it's my morning breath!), got dressed, packed up the computer and a book, and paced around waiting for another call. That waiting was the hardest part. If I'd've been sure where they were going to take him, I'd've left already.
Anyway, Mom called back and told me where he'd be, so I took off. No, I did NOT speed! I was a good girl. Mom wasn't so lucky; she actually got pulled on the way there. At least they let her off without giving her a ticket; wouldn't THAT just have been a kicker?
When I arrived, they didn't have a record of him being admitted yet. Since I live nearer the hospital than them, I figured I'd beaten the ambulance. Turns out they had admitted him by the wrong name. Don't name your children so that their MIDDLE name is the one they go by unless you want to deal with crap like this. The nurse took me back to where they had him in one of the admitting rooms.
Y'all, my daddy was in some SERIOUS pain. He said it was a 10 out of 10 on their pain scale; I wanted to remove it so much! They confirmed that he was having a heart attack, and the doctor talked with us for a couple of minutes until Mom arrived. Then they gave him some morphine and took him away.
They removed one blockage and put in two stents, and removed another blockage with a balloon. He's going to be okay! He'll have to change his diet, and they're going to try to put him on some other cholesterol medication, and he has some more smaller blockages that they want to address soon, but I think I'm going to get to keep my Daddy.
I can't feel anything yet, y'all. I'm too stressed. I love him and Mom to pieces and cannot imagine my life without them in it. I want to snap my fingers and make it all better instantly, but I don't have that power. The best I can do is love them and be strong for them. And see if I can't get them on a vegetarian diet. :>
I brushed my teeth ('cause if there's anything that'll send Daddy to the other side, it's my morning breath!), got dressed, packed up the computer and a book, and paced around waiting for another call. That waiting was the hardest part. If I'd've been sure where they were going to take him, I'd've left already.
Anyway, Mom called back and told me where he'd be, so I took off. No, I did NOT speed! I was a good girl. Mom wasn't so lucky; she actually got pulled on the way there. At least they let her off without giving her a ticket; wouldn't THAT just have been a kicker?
When I arrived, they didn't have a record of him being admitted yet. Since I live nearer the hospital than them, I figured I'd beaten the ambulance. Turns out they had admitted him by the wrong name. Don't name your children so that their MIDDLE name is the one they go by unless you want to deal with crap like this. The nurse took me back to where they had him in one of the admitting rooms.
Y'all, my daddy was in some SERIOUS pain. He said it was a 10 out of 10 on their pain scale; I wanted to remove it so much! They confirmed that he was having a heart attack, and the doctor talked with us for a couple of minutes until Mom arrived. Then they gave him some morphine and took him away.
They removed one blockage and put in two stents, and removed another blockage with a balloon. He's going to be okay! He'll have to change his diet, and they're going to try to put him on some other cholesterol medication, and he has some more smaller blockages that they want to address soon, but I think I'm going to get to keep my Daddy.
I can't feel anything yet, y'all. I'm too stressed. I love him and Mom to pieces and cannot imagine my life without them in it. I want to snap my fingers and make it all better instantly, but I don't have that power. The best I can do is love them and be strong for them. And see if I can't get them on a vegetarian diet. :>
I Got a New Job!
Well, the job search is over and I have emerged victorious! I'll be starting with a company in August.
Here's the story, though, 'cause it's a twisted one. I got the news of my impending layoff on Jul 11. On Jul 13, I had a very good interview with a company that I had actually had one interview with back last August, when we were trying to move down here near our families. The interview went well, and I was expecting an offer the next Monday, but it never appeared. I also had a great phone screen with a company, but they couldn't see me until today, 'cause the boss was on vacation the week following the phone interview.
So, I kept interviewing. And either knocking companies off my list, or getting knocked off theirs. And every day was another day the offer didn't appear. I called them Thursday to get the scoop. They called me back later that day (actually, right when our first softball game was starting; it was a double-header that night), and said they wanted to make me an offer.
Now here, dear friends, is where I screwed up (although maybe not, as it turns out). They pressed me for a number, and I needed to get off the phone and get into the ballgame (I was batting 2nd), and I gave him my minimum and said, "But I'd like to be in market." Well, I get the offer Friday afternoon and sure enough, it's for my minimum. Once you factor in gas, wear 'n' tear on the car, and other expenses, we're looking at a pay cut.
They said they'd be available to answer any questions over the weekend, so I sent an email Saturday morning to see if the number was flexible at all. Nothing all weekend, and then today I get a "nope! take it or leave it" email. Blech.
So here we are: I have an offer from a company that I like but don't love that is at the very bottom of my range and who have just said they're not willing to negotiate. I have a job interview this afternoon with a company that I REALLY REALLY like, with people that I REALLY REALLY like, but I don't know if they can make a decision that fast. So, I call. "Sure! We're ready to roll, and if we all like each other we can make an offer before your deadline [to respond to your current offer]."
I went to the interview this afternoon, and it went PERFECTLY. We all liked each other, I told them my range & it was perfect with their range, and I got the offer and accepted it this afternoon! It's a hike (about a 45-min drive), but the company is SO nice and strong and they seem to really value my skills and experience and we all sat around and laughed the whole time, so I feel very strongly that THIS is the job that I was meant to have.
And that's probably why the other company wasn't willing to negotiate. This way, it was EASY to make up my mind. Had they been willing to negotiate or offered more money off the bat, I might've ended up doing eeny-meeny-miney-mo, and might've made the wrong decision.
Guess the universe doesn't trust me all that much. :>
Here's the story, though, 'cause it's a twisted one. I got the news of my impending layoff on Jul 11. On Jul 13, I had a very good interview with a company that I had actually had one interview with back last August, when we were trying to move down here near our families. The interview went well, and I was expecting an offer the next Monday, but it never appeared. I also had a great phone screen with a company, but they couldn't see me until today, 'cause the boss was on vacation the week following the phone interview.
So, I kept interviewing. And either knocking companies off my list, or getting knocked off theirs. And every day was another day the offer didn't appear. I called them Thursday to get the scoop. They called me back later that day (actually, right when our first softball game was starting; it was a double-header that night), and said they wanted to make me an offer.
Now here, dear friends, is where I screwed up (although maybe not, as it turns out). They pressed me for a number, and I needed to get off the phone and get into the ballgame (I was batting 2nd), and I gave him my minimum and said, "But I'd like to be in market." Well, I get the offer Friday afternoon and sure enough, it's for my minimum. Once you factor in gas, wear 'n' tear on the car, and other expenses, we're looking at a pay cut.
They said they'd be available to answer any questions over the weekend, so I sent an email Saturday morning to see if the number was flexible at all. Nothing all weekend, and then today I get a "nope! take it or leave it" email. Blech.
So here we are: I have an offer from a company that I like but don't love that is at the very bottom of my range and who have just said they're not willing to negotiate. I have a job interview this afternoon with a company that I REALLY REALLY like, with people that I REALLY REALLY like, but I don't know if they can make a decision that fast. So, I call. "Sure! We're ready to roll, and if we all like each other we can make an offer before your deadline [to respond to your current offer]."
I went to the interview this afternoon, and it went PERFECTLY. We all liked each other, I told them my range & it was perfect with their range, and I got the offer and accepted it this afternoon! It's a hike (about a 45-min drive), but the company is SO nice and strong and they seem to really value my skills and experience and we all sat around and laughed the whole time, so I feel very strongly that THIS is the job that I was meant to have.
And that's probably why the other company wasn't willing to negotiate. This way, it was EASY to make up my mind. Had they been willing to negotiate or offered more money off the bat, I might've ended up doing eeny-meeny-miney-mo, and might've made the wrong decision.
Guess the universe doesn't trust me all that much. :>
A Job Search is a Full-Time Job
So here I am, on my 8th day of my job search, and I am WIPED OUT. So far I have had 5 in-person interviews (one lasting six hours!) and 4 phone screens (in addition to the numerous recruiters trying to get me to work at Wachovia