A Long Time In The Making

  So have you ever dreamed something and gotten it?  And then did you ever regret wishing for whatever it was because it was different than you thought it was going to be?  Disappointed or just not enamored with the idea of your dream anymore?  Well, this is not that case.  As long as this has taken, and as unexpected as the timing has occurred, it is a miracle.  Everything is better than I thought it would be, but also still stressful as everything is uncertain until it actually comes to fruition.  You are not going to get paid until the check is deposited in the bank or the cash is in hand.  All the work and potential hopefully leads to a favorable outcome and that indicates a healthy baby in this case.

  Spreading the word slowly has been good to let the reality sink in and telling those friends and family that we are closest to.  No one can know what will happen and whether this pregnancy will result in a happy healthy baby, but I am confident that telling people at this point is as safe as possible as I cannot fit any of my "normal" clothes anymore.  Every symptom in the book I have had, but heading into the second trimester has eased the most severe of those symptoms.  I love hearing the happy tidings from those that wish us well.  It makes my heart swell even more.  I have tempered optimism that grows every day.  The happiest will be in late October or November when I hold that healthy baby in my arms at our home.  My husband is so good to me and I am glad I have him to lean on through this process and whatever comes in the future. YaY! Pregnant... woohoo!

  What's going on right now?  13.5 weeks:  Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, their veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and their body is starting to catch up with their head — which makes up just a third of their body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.


  I have to mention the royal wedding that took place yesterday.  I only say Kate and William coming out of the church after the wedding was over, but Kate's lace veil and dress were beautiful!  Everything a princess should look like.  Calm, beautiful, smiling, relaxed, and enjoying every moment.  Poised and sweet, the couple looked right at home with all the pomp and circumstance.  I really congratulate them as I imagine that was a difficult day to get through and I wish them well in the future.  I wish them male and female children.  I wish them fun and fidelity.  Enjoy marriage you two!

Saving Grace and the TV marathon

Wow, watching the first episode of Saving Grace I could not believe the fast pace, so much going on.  It is understandable and easy to follow and I think unique in content in that angels are involved.  I have not been able to function,  no laundry, no dishes washed, no cleaning of any kind.  I can barely breathe and that made sleeping difficult last night.  I have definitely caught up on my TV viewing.  I am ready to be better by now.  I do not want to be sick for Easter.  I do not want to make anything because it would be infected with my cooties.

  No cooking involved either.  Taco Bell dinner and lunch will not make it forever.  I want to have an appetite and be able to breathe without a tissue ever 10 - 30 minutes.  My teeth ache from the sinus pressure beating down onto their nerves.  Oh, the aching.  Have you had your teeth ache?  Then you know how annoying/painful that can be.  Throb, throb, throb.  I cannot go anywhere yet because I need to be loud and near a bathroom without offending anyone.   So much for seeing my movie this weekend.  I would be too much of a distraction to the other audience members.  Also, too many symptoms to invite anyone to the house yet.  Good grief Charlie Brown.  I cannot remember having a cold this bad, years, maybe 3 or so.  I remember having flu and wanting to end my life, but nothing like that is that bad despite feeling it that way.  Oh, so time for another tissue.

Sick, Sick, Sick...

  Oh, I have not had a cold in a very long time.  I forgot how all encompassing the symptoms can be.  They really are debilitating and should not be shared with the world or co-workers.  I am staying home, but have gotten nothing done since we came home from vacation.  That long list of to-do and cleaning have been put on hold.  I canceled all appointments and have not gotten to the grocery store yet.  We are living off of what's in the pantry and freezer.  I am being really creative with what little we have.  Tony got symptoms slower than I did, but he finally stayed home today as he was so run down, headache, sore throat, coughing, etc.

  Sometimes when I am sick I think, "Wow, how I take for granted being healthy most of the time."  I try not to take medicines, but have embraced alternatives for my symptoms.  The humidifier is a life saver.  The honey, vinegar and/or saline rinses to gargle are great too.  I think sleep is key and to keep the vitamins coming.  I really cannot be 100% to work so I would rather not give only a percentage of my potential, I would rather just come another day to give it my all.  I know my focus and functionality is so limited when I am distracted by illness that the quality of my work suffers and no one should have to deal with that.  I would rather others do the same and just stay home to get better.

  I know I get hit especially hard when I get sick as my immune system is constantly being tested compared to Tony who is exposed to everything all the time.  He's tough and his immune system is up for the challenge.  I cannot wait to feel well again.  Sleeping and sleeping, getting nothing done feels like such a waste of time, but I know illness is nature's way of telling me to slow down.  Slowing down makes me appreciate the time that is coming that I will be very busy.  Working and life can get so hectic that if I do not slow down every once in a while the best of life can be passing me by.  The last 2 weeks in Arizona with friends and family have been so short in the grand scheme of things, but so precious as those moments are so rare.  I hope there comes a day that we do not have to re-hash our childhood and the ridiculous idiosyncrasies of our family and we can just live in the now.  Every family is their own brand of crazy.  Hah

Oh Man! Arizona was great

  What can I say about the past 2 weeks?  It was the best of times, it was the best of times... going to Apache Junction and seeing Tony's aunt and uncle and my dad was so fun!  We visited unknown-to-me lakes, drove treacherous trails, spotted the mountains in windy/sandy times, sunset, rainy/cloudy, sunny and sunrise times.  We experienced the beautiful blooming of all the cacti and ocotillo throughout the area.  We went to an Arboretum (gorgeous).  Went to various delicious restaurants.  Old Town Scottsdale is worth weeks of exploration of their art museums, shops and food delight offerings.  I recommend R N R and the Italian Grotto for starters.  Tony rode the trails with a mule called Maribella.  We swam in the warm pool water.  We experienced the warmth and wonder of all the Arizona weather offered to us until the day we drove to Tucson that was cold (40 degrees) and rainy all day long!  They do not know how to drive out in AZ when it's raining and they are driving 2 hours on a freeway to get from here to there.

  Tucson was so warm and temperate.  Not heated waters for our pool, but beautiful to dine outside and enjoy whatever else we wanted to do.  We went to Old Tucson, the Saguaro National Monument, grilled out with family, watched Taylor get ready for prom, stayed in a gorgeous house in Oro Valley, shopped in the Tucson and Foothills malls, and enjoyed many colorful sunsets.  I loved seeing my sister and her family.  They are so full of life and love for each other.  I just love being in their presence.  It does not matter what we do, just hanging out is enough for me.  Seeing my brother and his child was a welcome surprise.  So much eating and walking that the late hours of the 3 hour time difference made the whirlwind of time pass by so fast.  I loved every second of our trip, with the exception of the poor driving by the traffic driving to Tucson on the rainy day and the scary close tailgating/almost hitting me vehicles on Oracle road.  Ah, such a happy feeling turning in an in one piece rental car, every time.  Renting a house was the way to go.  Doing laundry, swimming if we feel like it, grilling outside, lounging in the couches to wake up to making my own breakfast in the morning and playing pool.  Good stuff.  With my niece's impending graduation from high school next year, we are contemplating 2 Arizona trips next year.  That would be fun.  It will depend on prices and timing.  We'll see.

  Now back into the swing of things at home.  Doctor's appointments, acupuncture, massage, work, cleaning, laundry, paying bills, catching up on TV, emails, moving snow, car maintenance, seeing friends and family, etc. etc.  I am excited and wary of the impending future.  I'm excited to go to wedding and baby showers, lunches with friends and going out to the property as soon as possible.  I cannot wait for Spring to finally arrive and stay.  This 1-4 inches of snow today and tomorrow is not my idea of Spring.  I want sunshine and clear yard and roads.  I am so happy we went to AZ when we did.  The weather really could not have been better and we could not have planned it better either.  So bittersweet to leave. Even Tony said he would miss Arizona.  I am rubbing off on him.  I loved that my sinuses were so much happier to be in AZ.  I am dreading the whole sinus pressure and headaches coming my way this week!  Glad our plane flights and driving were safe and successful.  Now, on to getting down to business :)  Leaning into the curve...

Traveling is really about laundry

  I have probably 7-8 loads of laundry to do before I can go on any trip.  I have to leave the house clean and in good shape for when we get back or in worst case scenario, if we do not make it back.  I realize this is a bit morbid, but I do not want my mother-in-law going through my house and commenting the whole time what a dirty mess it is.  Also, then things are done and organized for when we get back.  Getting back from a trip means more laundry.  All the dirty clothes that you bring back in your suitcases and all the new clothes you bought while you were there.
 
  I think that I pack lightly, but when it comes time to getting home and doing the laundry I realize that just is not the case.  I cannot imagine those that actually check bags on trips.  Their laundry must be double or triple the amount that I do as I only carry on a bag.  I do not mind doing laundry.  It is not a real big chore to me.  I can usually get things folded no problem.  Sometimes they sit in one spot folded for a couple of days before they get put away, but no harm done that way.

  I think days in advance what I will pack and how much liquid toiletries I will take.  I make a list and check it twice.  I print directions, tickets and receipts with confirmation numbers on them.  I get the trash out, the mail stopped, the insurance checked for rental car coverage and arrange for someone to get our papers for us.  I think it's down to an art now.  I cannot imagine those that travel weekly or bi-monthly as all of this would have to be done all the time.  I can imagine that those people have to have maid service or some help.  I do not have that kind of help so the job falls squarely on me.  I'm the planner.  I hope to take a trip soon.  This would be great as I have earned some sunshine in a warm clime.   At least my sinus headaches have lessened the last 2 days.  Hooray!

There is something to be said for a Root Beer float

I have wanted a Root Beer float for a while and just have not made it happen.  I like to savor my treats.  I have soda pop probably about 3 times per year.  I found Blue Sky Root Beer.  I used to have the Blue Sky Cherry Vanilla when I was young.  Delicious in my memory.  I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I put a twist on the float using Neapolitan ice cream as well.  Breyer's has 4 ingredients and I like the simplicity of knowing if I'm having and that if I plan on having sugar, I know I'm just indulging in sugar.

  Mmmm... turned out to be a great float.  Definitely sweeter than I'm used to.  I can only take small quantities compared to when I was younger.  Now everything is too sweet or too creamy for me.  The creaminess and variety of flavors with the chocolate, strawberry and vanilla within the Root Beer is great.  I really like the ice crunchiness when the creaminess melts.  The iciness and the Root Beer are what I remember best for this sweet treat.  I sometimes end up adding more Root Beer because I have ice cream left over.

  What I like about this treat is also that I get to watch men's college basketball.  The #11 seed VCU is currently beating the #1 seed Kansas.  Does not get better than that because I want Kansas to go down.  That would mess up so many people's brackets it would be funny!  Especially because Michigan and Arizona both lost by one bucket.  Ridiculous!  I hope UNC loses also and that the only ones left are not the "normal" teams that keep showing up.  On a side note for the girls college hoops, Michigan Tech. girls placed second in the nation in their category.  They  made it to the big dance and then got man handled by the other team without the refs calling virtually any fouls.  It was tough to watch because it seemed the officials had to have been paid off to so poorly call that game.  Still, a great season to be #2 in the country.

  I smell potato pancakes being made in the other room.  I hope they are crispy and done for dinner.  Now, if only this sinus headache would ease.  I just can't believe the extent that sinus and tension headaches have been dictating my life this month.  I would otherwise never believe it.  I'm going to lay down with a heat pack on my forehead now.

Emergency situation that I helped out with

  It was a few days ago this happened.  Life is fast and furious these days.  Showings, realtor materials and classes to be taken, the time is endlessly running along.  I do not have a set schedule and I have been going into Curves as I can.  I go at varied times of day and there is no way to predict when I will be free to show up.  I ended up going to Curves at 6 PM.  They close at 7 PM so I knew I'd be one of the last people in the place because many women do not go in this late in the day. 

  Sure enough, when I arrived there was only the attendant (worker) and one other woman working out in the whole place.  I started working out and the other woman left before I was finished with the first half of my workout.  I talked with the attendant and found out it was her birthday that day.  She said that she wanted to get the closing tasks done early so she could leave right away at 7 PM because she was meeting family for her birthday dinner.  I tried to hurry through getting my workout done so I could get out of there and free her time up.  The attendant started cleaning in the workout room and then went to vacuum in the back room.  I had then finished my workout and was stretching when I heard three screams increasing in volume each time.

  I ran back into the back room and found the attendant sprawled in a sitting position on the floor with the vacuum spread out fallen onto the floor next to her.  She was crying and screaming and I asked her what happened.  She said she fell, but could not describe exactly what happened.  Looking at her forehead she had a forming goose egg that was bright blue.  Her shoulder on the right side, the same side of her goose egg, was shorter in height than her other shoulder.  She then tried to move her right arm and screamed out and cried harder.  The she became more hysterical and said, "I can't move my arm.  I can't move my arm!"  She asked for a cold water bottle to put on to her goose egg so I got one for her.

  We called the owner, whom the attendant was substituting for because she was sick.  The owner said to look for someone to help in the nearby offices.  I ran down the hall and no one answered any doors.  I came back and got a cold compress for her further enlarging goose egg, now a golf ball size.  We hung up and the owner said she'd call the family that was waiting for her at the restaurant to come and help her.  Once we figured out she couldn't stand and couldn't move from that spot, we would not be able to walk her to a car and would not easily get her standing.  Even if she could stand, she may pass out from the concussion she incurred from the head trauma.

  We called an ambulance to come get her.  I told her she did not have to stand up because that is what she was worried about.  She needed to calm down, stay conscious and to get to a hospital to get evaluated.  The shoulder was either dislocated, broken or both.  Any way it is, the shoulder needed to get evaluated prior to trying to move it.  Her head was now swollen to the size of a tennis ball and getting larger.  She was bleeding from the goose egg, but not profusely.  I rubbed her back as she periodically cried and tried to keep her calm.  She kept saying, "Its my birthday." 

  Her friend and grand daughter showed up about 5 minutes prior to the ambulance.  We tried to shield the grand daughter, but the friend that showed up did not really keep her away from the scene.  The ambulance showed up about 15 minutes after we called them.  The EMTs were an obese woman and a man in his late 50s to early 60s.  These two did not look like the team I expected.  What she needed, in my opinion, was to lay back on a board and for someone at each end to lift her onto the gurney to ferry her to the ambulance.  Instead, then put a sling on her arm, ice pack onto her now softball sized swelling on her forehead and the male EMT basically yanked her standing by her other arm while she moaned and screamed in pain until she was standing.  She was very unsteady on her feet.

  They brought the gurney near and had her try and sit down onto it.  They finally got her situated and wheeled away to go to the hospital.  I left directly from there and didn't get an update as to her condition until the next day.  I was surprised as to the lack of procedure the EMTs followed and how incapable they seemed to me.  I would not have been alright with them up righting me in the manner they did to her.  Although, I did not offer solutions as that is not my job.  I just watched.  Liability-wise I had to let them do the work. 

  Update is that her swelling went from her forehead and fell next to her eye and cheek with a black/purple color the next day.  She did break her shoulder.  A small fracture leading to a hairline fracture.  She will be out of commission for weeks now.  She has to sleep upright essentially and cannot get around by herself nor drive.

  What I think happened is that she got new shoes with non-skid heels and soles on them.  She was vacuuming and she went to pivot, but the shoe stuck and her momentum took her over and she had nothing to break her fall.  Her full weight came down and her forehead and shoulder took the full force of the impact onto the vinyl tiles on top of the concrete floor. 

  If I had not been there, there is no way to tell how long she would have sat in the back room by herself.  She would not have been able to scoot or stand up on her own.  She would have been screaming and screaming until someone went down the back hallway or until the people she was to meet decided to come looking for her.  She had no cell phone on her and the room had dense walls with little likelihood anyone would have came around as they would assume that everything was closed at that time of night.  We estimated a minimum of 45 minutes that she would have sat there.  She may have passed out, went into shock, who knows.  We are thankful that she did not have a cracked skull or worse injuries and that she got help as soon as possible in those circumstances.  I wish her well and am glad I was experienced enough with first hand witness to trauma that I could keep calm and get her help.  Best wishes to her and her family.  I hope in the future she can prevent this from happening again as this was her fourth fall in the last 3 months.  This being the worst fall.  Anything worse than this, she won't leave the hospital.  Scary, what to do?