I had another doctors appointment today. I am so glad I didn't have to serve on the jury case (see previous blog) because I didn't want to cancel my appointment and reschedule, that would push back my other two appointments. The appointment Nurse Nazi would just tell me again "OH you can't do that it's just way too important." Well tell the City of Rochester to back off then! Nurse Nazi was not happy when I told her last week that I refuse to schedule a doctor's appointment on Brecklen's birthday.
Nurse Nazi: Well, there's nothing your doctor has available the rest of the week.
Me: Can't you schedule it next Monday with her ?(it would be like 9 days in between appointments)
Nurse Nazi: Oh No! (acting like I had just sentenced my unborn child to immediate death) You can't do that! That's WAY too long between appointments!
Me: Well, then just make the appointment with someone else then?
Nurse Nazi makes a random appointment and I just call in and rescheduled it when I wanted it, so everything just worked out.
Nurse Nazi I'm so sorry I couldn't put my entire life on hold. Between Jury duty these two weeks and weekly doctor's appointments I have pretty much cleared my schedule. Breck had swim lessons that I didn't want to miss (because I had already cancelled due to Jury duty service), and a birthday, how dare he! Thanks for making me feel like a crappy mom.
It really makes my pregnancy fly when I have to go in every week. Before I know it the baby will be here in like... 5 appointments. It's official. I am scheduled to be induced on September 12th. As long as everything continues to look good, i.e. baby is continuing to gain weight, and has enough amniotic fluid and so on. It's nice to know when she's coming. Now I can finally tell my mother-in-law and mother when to take off work. It's still weird to think she will be here before I know it. I have had 8 months so far to prepare, but I don't feel ready yet. I think I will probably be starting my weird "nesting" soon now that I have a deadline, or just the reality of knowing that she is actually coming. I am starting to get a little excited to meet her. She's a funny girl. She is so shy on the ultrasounds. She likes to hide her face, probably due to the fact that these annoying ultrasound techs dig into my belly so hard she's trying to ward them off. It will be interesting to see if she always has her hands over her face when she's born. I remember when we had ultrasounds with Hannah and one of the tech's made a comment that it would be interesting to know if she still sleeps with her hands tucked under her face when she's born. Yup, she does. Hannah has always liked to sleep on her side with her hands tucked under she head.
It's amazing how sweet and innocent they look while they sleep. No screaming or saying "I don't like you" as she does on a daily basis. Yeah, I can see that our power struggle has just begun. Hannah has already started to run to her room and slam the door. Very hilarious from a barely two year old. Brecklen has never told me he doesn't like me or slam his door. Ever. Wow, I think girls just know these things. It's born into them, or atleast Hannah, to be a Diva from birth. This is why we asked the tech if it was definitely a girl when we found out the sex. Love Hannah to death, but the thought of two of her is possibly overwhelming. Two strong personalities clashing together growing up. I see lots of fights in the future. But then I also see two sweet girls growing up being best friends and sharing (hopefully) everything. Hannah can be so sweet and loving with Brecklen and I know they will both be wonderful big siblings.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Jury duty
Today I got called in for my first day of jury duty. I was a little excited, but more annoyed by the fact that I had to find someone to take care of my kids all day. Thanks to an eager teen, Andy Miller, who has made my life easier. He is "on call" for the next two weeks, as am I. So everyday I call at 4:30pm to see if I have to go in the next day. Although really I call at like 3, see if there's a new message, if not I call a little later, and so on until after 4:30pm. I am a little obsessed with calling. I practically know the number by heart. I think it's because I want to get the dread of knowing over with for the day, and if I have to go in I think by calling in it's going to magically "change" and tell me that it was all a mistake and I don't need to be there.
As I was walking across the street to fulfill my public duty (and trying not to get hit by cars) I see a cop hop out of her car, wipe the powdered doughnut off her face (just kidding), and pull out her notepad to write some poor sap a parking ticket just because his meter ran out. Nice. Our government must need his $14.50 pretty bad because I found out that our stellar pay of $20/day is being docked to $10/day next week due to budget cuts in the state. What a nice way to say thank you to all those hard working people who are missing work and most likely won't get paid their regular salary that day.
When we first arrived they showed a cheesy movie reminding us all about our fantastic judicial system and how people were really glad they had served their public duty as a juror. Good for them and the 150,000 people that Minnesota "serves" every year. I am not one of those "happy people." Unfortunately I think I have a bad attitude about this whole thing. I have been thinking about all the wrong things I could say that would get me out of serving on a trial. I am pretty sure that I wasn't the only one. After the entertaining movie was over we just had to wait. We had no idea how long we would be waiting. Everyone just sat there in total silence. I got hungry about an hour into waiting. I didn't want to eat in the room with everyone staring as I opened my noisy bag of granola and scarf down my snack in awkward silence so I stepped outside to talk with the guy in charge of our group. I tried to pry as to how long we would be sitting here. Sometimes they let people go home if 3 pm rolls around. Yeah, what a nice thought. You hurry to get somewhere, and then you wait all day. Awesome. We didn't have to wait too long, after about two hours of waiting we were sent to the courtroom.
We sat in the courtroom and waited forever for the Judge. Judge Weiners. No comment neccessary, except that it was hard to keep a straight face when we all had to rise as the Judge came into the room. Maybe someday I will grow up, and that won't be so funny, but probably not. Hearing his name out loud was even funnier, and yes it is pronounced like how you would imagine. Everyone is so serious in the courtroom, it's like going to church on Sunday when your bishop greets you with a solemn "Hello Sister Murphy, it's nice to see you today." Except that no one is smiling in the courtroom, and there are no children whining, particularly mine. So maybe the waiting wasn't so bad....
I was selected to sit in the juror box along with 10 others. We were asked all sorts of questions. The lawyers were so careful with their questions, and so particular about their words. I thought that was the most interesting thing. They wanted to know if I stayed home with the kids and what Aric did for a living, and lots of other random questions just trying to get to know us. If we were in a union, had issues or disputes with neighbors, owned a firearm, had small children, owned a dog, didn't drink alcohol. The only person who raised her hand along with me on the alcohol question was a recovering alcoholic. They asked me if it was because I was pregnant, I said no, because of my religion. I am pretty sure that got me thrown off the jury for being a prude because they kept the recovering alcoholic. The case was about a disagreement on land, not if I owned a dog, or drinking. Fine with me. That jury has to report for trial tomorrow too, and I don't. But I still have to call in for the rest of the 2 week term to see if I need to come in again.
I will be so glad to finally get this jury thing over with. I was supposed to do it in February, but I was gone on vacation, so then it was pushed back to June, and then I was sick, so third times a charm. I have been dreading this for many months knowing I was going to have to serve sometime.
As I was walking across the street to fulfill my public duty (and trying not to get hit by cars) I see a cop hop out of her car, wipe the powdered doughnut off her face (just kidding), and pull out her notepad to write some poor sap a parking ticket just because his meter ran out. Nice. Our government must need his $14.50 pretty bad because I found out that our stellar pay of $20/day is being docked to $10/day next week due to budget cuts in the state. What a nice way to say thank you to all those hard working people who are missing work and most likely won't get paid their regular salary that day.
Today I show up on time, thank goodness, because they were starting to get mad that some people had not arrived by 9:05am, and those people never actually showed up at all. I wonder what happens to them? Does some cop come to their house and arrest them for skipping their public service? They probably have to serve a double sentence of jury duty, Which might be worse than getting arrested.
When we first arrived they showed a cheesy movie reminding us all about our fantastic judicial system and how people were really glad they had served their public duty as a juror. Good for them and the 150,000 people that Minnesota "serves" every year. I am not one of those "happy people." Unfortunately I think I have a bad attitude about this whole thing. I have been thinking about all the wrong things I could say that would get me out of serving on a trial. I am pretty sure that I wasn't the only one. After the entertaining movie was over we just had to wait. We had no idea how long we would be waiting. Everyone just sat there in total silence. I got hungry about an hour into waiting. I didn't want to eat in the room with everyone staring as I opened my noisy bag of granola and scarf down my snack in awkward silence so I stepped outside to talk with the guy in charge of our group. I tried to pry as to how long we would be sitting here. Sometimes they let people go home if 3 pm rolls around. Yeah, what a nice thought. You hurry to get somewhere, and then you wait all day. Awesome. We didn't have to wait too long, after about two hours of waiting we were sent to the courtroom.
We sat in the courtroom and waited forever for the Judge. Judge Weiners. No comment neccessary, except that it was hard to keep a straight face when we all had to rise as the Judge came into the room. Maybe someday I will grow up, and that won't be so funny, but probably not. Hearing his name out loud was even funnier, and yes it is pronounced like how you would imagine. Everyone is so serious in the courtroom, it's like going to church on Sunday when your bishop greets you with a solemn "Hello Sister Murphy, it's nice to see you today." Except that no one is smiling in the courtroom, and there are no children whining, particularly mine. So maybe the waiting wasn't so bad....
I was selected to sit in the juror box along with 10 others. We were asked all sorts of questions. The lawyers were so careful with their questions, and so particular about their words. I thought that was the most interesting thing. They wanted to know if I stayed home with the kids and what Aric did for a living, and lots of other random questions just trying to get to know us. If we were in a union, had issues or disputes with neighbors, owned a firearm, had small children, owned a dog, didn't drink alcohol. The only person who raised her hand along with me on the alcohol question was a recovering alcoholic. They asked me if it was because I was pregnant, I said no, because of my religion. I am pretty sure that got me thrown off the jury for being a prude because they kept the recovering alcoholic. The case was about a disagreement on land, not if I owned a dog, or drinking. Fine with me. That jury has to report for trial tomorrow too, and I don't. But I still have to call in for the rest of the 2 week term to see if I need to come in again.
I will be so glad to finally get this jury thing over with. I was supposed to do it in February, but I was gone on vacation, so then it was pushed back to June, and then I was sick, so third times a charm. I have been dreading this for many months knowing I was going to have to serve sometime.
Quote of the Day
"Texters hurt as they walk, ride —
even cook"
ER docs warn of serious injuries, deaths from text-message mishaps
ER docs warn of serious injuries, deaths from text-message mishaps
Well I thought this was too funny to pass up. I found this article on MSNBC and just thought I would share the highlights of the article, with my commentary. I always wondered if I would give my teen a cell phone. That depends if they can walk and text at the same time. Or how about just not walk and text at the same time.
Gonzales, a 19-year-old sophomore at San Diego State University, admits she’s stumbled more than once while sending texts on the street. “I’ve definitely tripped over things sometimes like the little cracks in the ground,” she said. “I have to remember to look up.” (That may be a good idea Gonzales.)
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has no national estimate on how common texting-related injuries are (really?). But since 2005, the agency has received at least seven reports of serious texting mishaps, including a 15-year-old girl who fell off her horse while texting, suffering head and back injuries (A Horse! Not the smartest tool in the shed are we), and a 13-year-old girl who suffered belly, leg and arm burns after texting her boyfriend while cooking noodles. (Ok so that's sad, but ramen noodles only take 3 minutes, can't you wait?)
Other reports include a 39-year-old man who suffered a head injury after crashing his bicycle into a tree while texting (shouldn't you know better, how embarrassing for you) and a 16-year-old boy who suffered a concussion because he was texting while walking and banged into a telephone pole. (I hope your girlfriend didn't find out, because I would dump you if I was her!)
There were even reports of people being hit by cars and dying. You died for your cell phone?? That is way too sad. All I can say is that I feel sorry for these people that had to go to the ER because of these accidents. I bet THAT was embarrassing! I can hear Aric now in the ER with the patient. "Exactly how did you break your mandible again? Oh. You crashed into a tree on your bike while texting? Hum. "
Friday, July 25, 2008
Where the heck have we been this month?
I can't believe my last post was practically a month ago. So much has happened since then. I guess I didn't want to post for a little while because I felt like I've been Debbie downer. It is so depressing when people ask me how I'm doing. Do I say "well, actually... ". With my friends I just tell them, but even then I feel like I am seriously the most depressing person to be around right now. In the past twelve weeks I have seen my OB doc practically weekly and have had 7 ultrasounds. I would have posted the pictures, but these techs need to take better pictures!
Since I've been ill, which by the way I'm all better now for those still wondering, my pregnancy has gotten a bit more complicated. At 28 weeks baby dropped in the weight percentile, from 8% to 3% in 6 days. The docs were pretty alarmed so they gave me a series of steroid shots to develop the babies lungs, just in case I needed to deliver quickly, and soon. Aric and I tried not to be too concerned, up until the point they talked about delivery and yada, yada, yada... which is pretty much what it sounded like to me.
So baby is labelled "growth restricted" and small for date. They essentially don't know why she's small, so they are being cautious in case the placenta is not working well. I had another Ultrasound today at 32 weeks, and she is measuring 3 weeks behind. So she is measuring as a 29 week baby would. Aric and I are not as worried as we were a month ago, I'm still pregnant and she is gaining weight. I have to go in every week to check baby's health, which is such a pain because I feel like I have asked a million favors already, but all my friends have been great. The good thing is that we get to see her weekly, and know how she's doing. She will most likely be a preemie, but hopefully she won't have to be in the NICU which is my biggest fear. She's at 3 lbs right now, and still has alot of time to grow, so I'm probably worrying for nothing. My doctor most likely will induce me 1-2 weeks early because typically with growth restricted babies they do better on the outside of the womb if baby isn't growing well enough.We discussed around Sept. 12th, but didn't schedule anything yet. I will let you know when I find out. It's a little weird talking about induction when I am not quite ready mentally to have this baby. It still feels so far away. I guess I better get ready. I am a little nervous to have three kids. I only have two hands! See I told you I'm Debbie Downer. But really I have a feeling she'll be just fine, just small.
On a funnier note, when I went to pick up Brecklen and Hannah at my friends house I started chatting with Ann and Brecklen booked it to the car to wait for us. Usually I have to peel him away. When I got to the car Brecklen said "Where's the baby?" I told him I didn't have the baby yet, he's going to have to wait a little while for that. I think it's because I told him that today I have an appointment for the baby or something like that. I guess I'll have to explain better next time. He seemed a little dissapointed. Atleast he's ready to have another little sister.
By the way we just got back from our vacation in Colorado at the beginning of this week, so whenever I get around to putting my house together after the post-vacation mess and mounds of laundry that still needs to be put away, I will post pictures.
Since I've been ill, which by the way I'm all better now for those still wondering, my pregnancy has gotten a bit more complicated. At 28 weeks baby dropped in the weight percentile, from 8% to 3% in 6 days. The docs were pretty alarmed so they gave me a series of steroid shots to develop the babies lungs, just in case I needed to deliver quickly, and soon. Aric and I tried not to be too concerned, up until the point they talked about delivery and yada, yada, yada... which is pretty much what it sounded like to me.
So baby is labelled "growth restricted" and small for date. They essentially don't know why she's small, so they are being cautious in case the placenta is not working well. I had another Ultrasound today at 32 weeks, and she is measuring 3 weeks behind. So she is measuring as a 29 week baby would. Aric and I are not as worried as we were a month ago, I'm still pregnant and she is gaining weight. I have to go in every week to check baby's health, which is such a pain because I feel like I have asked a million favors already, but all my friends have been great. The good thing is that we get to see her weekly, and know how she's doing. She will most likely be a preemie, but hopefully she won't have to be in the NICU which is my biggest fear. She's at 3 lbs right now, and still has alot of time to grow, so I'm probably worrying for nothing. My doctor most likely will induce me 1-2 weeks early because typically with growth restricted babies they do better on the outside of the womb if baby isn't growing well enough.We discussed around Sept. 12th, but didn't schedule anything yet. I will let you know when I find out. It's a little weird talking about induction when I am not quite ready mentally to have this baby. It still feels so far away. I guess I better get ready. I am a little nervous to have three kids. I only have two hands! See I told you I'm Debbie Downer. But really I have a feeling she'll be just fine, just small.
On a funnier note, when I went to pick up Brecklen and Hannah at my friends house I started chatting with Ann and Brecklen booked it to the car to wait for us. Usually I have to peel him away. When I got to the car Brecklen said "Where's the baby?" I told him I didn't have the baby yet, he's going to have to wait a little while for that. I think it's because I told him that today I have an appointment for the baby or something like that. I guess I'll have to explain better next time. He seemed a little dissapointed. Atleast he's ready to have another little sister.
By the way we just got back from our vacation in Colorado at the beginning of this week, so whenever I get around to putting my house together after the post-vacation mess and mounds of laundry that still needs to be put away, I will post pictures.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
How will the baby come out?
I was putting Brecklen to bed a few days ago and we got into a conversation about the baby. He wanted to know the specifics of how the baby actually gets around in my tummy. I told him it's like a balloon filled with water. He seemed to like the visual image and started laughing. He got a big smile on his face as he was trying to put all the pieces together. He asked if the baby floats around and bounces off the walls. Pretty much. So when he got that part figured out, then his next question was.....
Brecklen: Mom, how is the baby going to come out of your tummy?
Me: (Panic) They just take it out. (I point to my huge stomach, trying to figure out what I'm going to say next)
Breck: (gives me a questioned look because I didn't answer him)
Me: Well, they make an incision on mommy's tummy and take it out.
(He seemed happy with that. And I was so glad, because I really didn't want to tell him how it will really happen, and technically babies are born that way).
Breck: Will it hurt?
Me: No, not really. (Yes, lots!!!)
Breck: Will they put a big band-aid on it? (He was starting to get a little emotional).
Me: Yes, a big one (I wish that was all it took).
I was surprised that he was getting worried about all of this. He thought he was going to be there and would see me in pain during delivery. I told him he wasn't going to be there, he would be with his friends. He seemed relieved at that.
Me: Do you have any names you like?
Breck: Yes, Wonder Girl. But I'm not sure if I like it or not.
(of course our family would not be complete without another superhero).
We discussed some more names. Although didn't come up with one.
Breck: I know how I came here.
Me: How's that?
Breck: I fell from Heaven through two clouds. (Couldn't have said it better myself).
Me: (Chuckling because that is so clever and very specific) TWO clouds? Yup. That's right.
Breck: He rubs his nose on my tummy, and kisses it. (He likes to do this alot, it's so cute).
I am so impressed that we got through this whole conversation about babies, and it went great. I am so glad we skipped over the birds and the bees stuff. I think his explanation was so much better any how. He ceases to amaze me with his creativity and imagination. It was actually a really fun conversation because I could just see his mind processing all this information and he was just ecstatic to learn it all.
Brecklen: Mom, how is the baby going to come out of your tummy?
Me: (Panic) They just take it out. (I point to my huge stomach, trying to figure out what I'm going to say next)
Breck: (gives me a questioned look because I didn't answer him)
Me: Well, they make an incision on mommy's tummy and take it out.
(He seemed happy with that. And I was so glad, because I really didn't want to tell him how it will really happen, and technically babies are born that way).
Breck: Will it hurt?
Me: No, not really. (Yes, lots!!!)
Breck: Will they put a big band-aid on it? (He was starting to get a little emotional).
Me: Yes, a big one (I wish that was all it took).
I was surprised that he was getting worried about all of this. He thought he was going to be there and would see me in pain during delivery. I told him he wasn't going to be there, he would be with his friends. He seemed relieved at that.
Me: Do you have any names you like?
Breck: Yes, Wonder Girl. But I'm not sure if I like it or not.
(of course our family would not be complete without another superhero).
We discussed some more names. Although didn't come up with one.
Breck: I know how I came here.
Me: How's that?
Breck: I fell from Heaven through two clouds. (Couldn't have said it better myself).
Me: (Chuckling because that is so clever and very specific) TWO clouds? Yup. That's right.
Breck: He rubs his nose on my tummy, and kisses it. (He likes to do this alot, it's so cute).
I am so impressed that we got through this whole conversation about babies, and it went great. I am so glad we skipped over the birds and the bees stuff. I think his explanation was so much better any how. He ceases to amaze me with his creativity and imagination. It was actually a really fun conversation because I could just see his mind processing all this information and he was just ecstatic to learn it all.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday the 13th
Today I decided to get out of the house and show my mom and the kids a good time, no matter how crappy I felt. Aric reminded me that today is Friday the 13th. I second guessed leaving my house with the luck I was having lately, but decided I'll take my chances. I still have major cabin fever.
Since it is Friday the 13th, I'll share a tidbit of trivia about Aric. He is very superstitious. Once when we were still dating a black cat ran out in the road in front of us. He did a U-turn in the road and proceeded to take the most out-of-the-way route just so we wouldn't cross it's path. I think it's kinda funny, it doesn't bother me. He doesn't have many quirks, so this makes him feel more human to me. He hates throwing out mirrors (doesn't want them to break). I actually did break a mirror once... maybe that's why I'm having such bad luck! I vaguely remember Aric warning me. When was that?
My poor mom has not really been able to do anything fun since she has been here (3weeks now). I was hoping I would be better by now and we would be able to do something really fun, like go up to Minneapolis, but that's not happening. It seems like we have had the worst weather since my mom has been here: hail and major storms with serious threat of tornado's. Today was the first beautiful summer day I have been able to enjoy, so we went to Quarry Hill nature center. For those who don't live here in Rochester it is a tiny nature center, but it's free. Every kid I know loves going there. You can spend a half hour, or a full day, depending on what you do. There's great hiking and a pond to fish in. The kids had a blast and enjoyed looking at all the fish and turtles in the aquariums. We checked out the bees making honey, and tried to spot a few birds. We then checked out their library and Hannah would not let go of this cute little book about baby animals, and Brecklen found the original Curious George story about how the Man with the yellow hat found George. It was similar to the movie, but much more shocking. Curious George was actually put in prison. I couldn't stop reading it. It was quite a page turner! I didn't know you could check out books there, but you can, so we did. I can't wait to read the Curious George book again to the kids. It is quite a read.
Then we decided to go outside and feed the fish in the pond. We brought some bread for the fish, but they weren't eating it. I guess I'll have to bring some better snacks for them next time. We did see some huge fish and a very large turtle that we didn't know lived there. I was sorry I didn't bring my camera, but I'm a little out of the habit. As we were leaving there some kids taking pictures of a cute painted turtle named Squeeky that Quarry Hill was releasing in the pond, it wasn't painted, that's the kind of turtle it was. Apparently someone found it in the road and brought it to Quarry Hill. Now I know where to take all of those stray turtles that are so abundant around here. I've seen many frogs, but not turtles. Brecklen got to touch Squeeky and that made his week.
After Quarry Hill Brecklen had a play date with his friend Sydney. So we dropped Brecklen off at her house. About a half hour after I home the phone rings and Stacy, Sydney's mom is on the phone. She says "Your not going to let Brecklen come over anymore." I asked why without trying to sound alarmed, but really wondering which one of our kids is going to the Emergency Room. Then she says they are pretending to get married. HUGE relief that no one is going to the ER. Then I started to laugh. They were pretending to get married in the temple, and were planning the whole thing as she was calling me. I was so glad she called, it was adorable. They play so differently with each other, because they're the opposite sex and it is so funny to hear the things they come up with.
To add to the story. A couple months ago we past by Sydney's house and Brecklen pointed at her house (he knows where all his friends live), and he wanted to play with her. I told him that she's out of town and won't be back for a while. He was really sad, but understood, and I told him that when she gets back we'll schedule a playdate. It's been a while since Brecklen has seen her, and I didn't realize how much he missed her. Sydney is Brecklen's first friend ever. They have been friends since the day we moved to Rochester, and I think they have quite a bond. They can go for long stretches (probably too long, due to my lack of scheduling) of time without seeing each other, and they just pick up where they left off, like they saw each other yesterday.
The morning after we past by Sydney's home Brecklen comes into my room and tells me he had a dream. I love hearing his dreams, they are always so interesting and creative. He dreamed about Sydney. They were getting married and she was going to be his wife. I couldn't believe he actually had a dream about marriage. It was so cute that he actually dreamed about marrying Sydney. His dream seemed so clear to him, it wasn't any girl, it was Sydney. It was funny to hear him talking about marriage, but it was so sweet and innocent.
Then a few weeks later he had another dream about them getting married. I emailed Stacy, Sydney's mom, about it. It was just so darn cute, I had to tell her! I told Stacy I could just imagine them meeting at BYU someday and finally realizing that they are long lost childhood friends, they start dating, and get married. How cute would that be! I won't get my hopes up about a 4 year old's dream, but what a cute dream it is!
I just realized that nothing bad happened to me today. Actually it was a nice day. Maybe my luck is changing!
Since it is Friday the 13th, I'll share a tidbit of trivia about Aric. He is very superstitious. Once when we were still dating a black cat ran out in the road in front of us. He did a U-turn in the road and proceeded to take the most out-of-the-way route just so we wouldn't cross it's path. I think it's kinda funny, it doesn't bother me. He doesn't have many quirks, so this makes him feel more human to me. He hates throwing out mirrors (doesn't want them to break). I actually did break a mirror once... maybe that's why I'm having such bad luck! I vaguely remember Aric warning me. When was that?
My poor mom has not really been able to do anything fun since she has been here (3weeks now). I was hoping I would be better by now and we would be able to do something really fun, like go up to Minneapolis, but that's not happening. It seems like we have had the worst weather since my mom has been here: hail and major storms with serious threat of tornado's. Today was the first beautiful summer day I have been able to enjoy, so we went to Quarry Hill nature center. For those who don't live here in Rochester it is a tiny nature center, but it's free. Every kid I know loves going there. You can spend a half hour, or a full day, depending on what you do. There's great hiking and a pond to fish in. The kids had a blast and enjoyed looking at all the fish and turtles in the aquariums. We checked out the bees making honey, and tried to spot a few birds. We then checked out their library and Hannah would not let go of this cute little book about baby animals, and Brecklen found the original Curious George story about how the Man with the yellow hat found George. It was similar to the movie, but much more shocking. Curious George was actually put in prison. I couldn't stop reading it. It was quite a page turner! I didn't know you could check out books there, but you can, so we did. I can't wait to read the Curious George book again to the kids. It is quite a read.
Then we decided to go outside and feed the fish in the pond. We brought some bread for the fish, but they weren't eating it. I guess I'll have to bring some better snacks for them next time. We did see some huge fish and a very large turtle that we didn't know lived there. I was sorry I didn't bring my camera, but I'm a little out of the habit. As we were leaving there some kids taking pictures of a cute painted turtle named Squeeky that Quarry Hill was releasing in the pond, it wasn't painted, that's the kind of turtle it was. Apparently someone found it in the road and brought it to Quarry Hill. Now I know where to take all of those stray turtles that are so abundant around here. I've seen many frogs, but not turtles. Brecklen got to touch Squeeky and that made his week.
After Quarry Hill Brecklen had a play date with his friend Sydney. So we dropped Brecklen off at her house. About a half hour after I home the phone rings and Stacy, Sydney's mom is on the phone. She says "Your not going to let Brecklen come over anymore." I asked why without trying to sound alarmed, but really wondering which one of our kids is going to the Emergency Room. Then she says they are pretending to get married. HUGE relief that no one is going to the ER. Then I started to laugh. They were pretending to get married in the temple, and were planning the whole thing as she was calling me. I was so glad she called, it was adorable. They play so differently with each other, because they're the opposite sex and it is so funny to hear the things they come up with.
To add to the story. A couple months ago we past by Sydney's house and Brecklen pointed at her house (he knows where all his friends live), and he wanted to play with her. I told him that she's out of town and won't be back for a while. He was really sad, but understood, and I told him that when she gets back we'll schedule a playdate. It's been a while since Brecklen has seen her, and I didn't realize how much he missed her. Sydney is Brecklen's first friend ever. They have been friends since the day we moved to Rochester, and I think they have quite a bond. They can go for long stretches (probably too long, due to my lack of scheduling) of time without seeing each other, and they just pick up where they left off, like they saw each other yesterday.
The morning after we past by Sydney's home Brecklen comes into my room and tells me he had a dream. I love hearing his dreams, they are always so interesting and creative. He dreamed about Sydney. They were getting married and she was going to be his wife. I couldn't believe he actually had a dream about marriage. It was so cute that he actually dreamed about marrying Sydney. His dream seemed so clear to him, it wasn't any girl, it was Sydney. It was funny to hear him talking about marriage, but it was so sweet and innocent.
Then a few weeks later he had another dream about them getting married. I emailed Stacy, Sydney's mom, about it. It was just so darn cute, I had to tell her! I told Stacy I could just imagine them meeting at BYU someday and finally realizing that they are long lost childhood friends, they start dating, and get married. How cute would that be! I won't get my hopes up about a 4 year old's dream, but what a cute dream it is!
I just realized that nothing bad happened to me today. Actually it was a nice day. Maybe my luck is changing!
My month of Hell
Today is my one month mark for coming down with the most random illness ever. I am still recooperating, although doing much, much better.
For those sick of looking at my raccoon picture, here is my adventure of the last month. Forewarning, it is going to be an epic, because some day when I look back on this I will wonder if it really was that bad, and I can say yes, it was, but it also could have been so much worse-I don't have a terminal illness, atleast I think this will go away. First of all I'm still alive (not that I would have died from this, but sometimes it felt that way), second, I can stand on my own two feet, still dizzy and nauseous, but I can stand, although my mom can say I'm not a very nice person right now. I am grumpy from feeling crappy, it still is uncomfortable to stand and pretend that I'm all there. But it is nice to interact with my kids again, although I feel we have some role reversal going on. Brecklen will hold out his hand and slowly guide me to what he wants me to see. He has really grown up, and I am so proud of him for that.
A month ago I was cleaning my house in a rage as I sometimes do when no one seems to be bothering me. To back up, I was feeling very sick all day. Threw up many times that morning, chalked it up to morning sickness, probably still was. I was supposed to do some errands, since the kids were at preschool, but decided to treat myself to a pedicure that was given to me for a birthday present. In hindsight that was the best thing I ever did. I usually don't do stuff like that for myself and it felt sooo good. Although I never understood a word anyone said to me since the moment I walked in to get the pedicure. What a strange place, I felt like I was in a foreign country.
Anyway back to the cleaning.... I was feeling a little better in the evening, so I decided to clean my house. I always do so in a panic because I never know how long I will have to be left alone, or how long before my nausea catches up with me and I'm forced to stop. I was putting clothes away in Brecklen's room sitting on his bed when all of the sudden I felt this overwhelming sense of nausea and dizziness. I ran to the bathroom to take a Zofran (I owe my life to this saint of anti-nausea medicine), and just layed on the couch. I felt awful! I waited for the Zofran to kick in but it never did. Aric took the kids on a walk and I declined to go. When they came back 2 hours later I was still in the same position. I tried to help give the kids a bath but I was useless. I didn't know what was wrong with me. But little did I know the worst was yet to come. That whole night I tossed and turned all feeling very dizzy.
About 5:30am I woke up and opened my eyes and my eyes wouldn't stop moving and the world was spinning very rapidly. I woke up Aric after a couple of minutes. I thought I was going to lose my eyesight because my eyes just wouldn't quit moving, which I found out was a nystagmas (jumpy eyes). That was really scary, I was freaking out. I tried to walk and didn't get anywhere. Right back to bed. Aric got up to look into it. I have never been so happy that he is a doctor, maybe all those student loans actually will pay off! Meanwhile I am laying in bed covering my eyes from all light so that my eyes can't look at anything so they would stop moving and trying not moving my head at all so the world would stop spinning from all the vertigo. This was the lowest point of my life. I knew something was very,very wrong. I prayed so hard that I would be able to see my kids again and was trying to picture their little faces. I was also afraid that it wasn't just my eyesight and that it is possible that I am going crazy. Why would the world spin like this?! If it never stopped then I was going to go crazy! No joke. After praying for what seemed like forever, I finally found some peace that I knew everything was going to be alright eventually. I heard a voice in my mind "God healeth and dwelleth in your heart." It wasn't loud, but it was very clear. I also knew that it wasn't me saying it to myself because A. I don't talk like that and B. the Spirit said in YOUR heart. If I said I to myself I would have said something like God will heal me, not something so eloquent out of an old English novel when I wasn't even coherent to myself. So I just kept repeating it over and over in my mind to focus, and I didn't want to forget it.
Aric came back with some diagnoses. I was surprised to hear that it wasn't my eyes (or my brain for that matter), but my ears. One diagnosis was Vestibular Neuritis, a virus which attacks the ear causing inflammation (which is what I have), the other was BPPV, which essentially is a like having a kidney stone in your ear, throwing you off balance. They both have very similar presentation. So we hoped for the better of the two, BPPV, which is treatable (although not at all fun) by putting the "stone" back where it belongs in the ear canal. We decided to attempt the "repositioning" by doing a series of head movements. This was the most excruciating part. It technically wasn't painful, but nauseating to the worst degree. I threw up ALOT. The dizziness was overwhelming. I had to move my head to one side, then the other and then lay back and then turn over. I had no control of my body, I was a dead weight. Aric basically had to do this all for me, making sure I didn't hurt myself in the process. We had to do this multiple times to make sure it worked. So I guess to explain how I felt, imagine someone spinning you around over, and over, and over, but NEVER stopping. And then on top of that you can't stop your eyes from moving side to side, it's like my brain really thinks someone is preverse enough to spin me around forever and ever on a boat, and my eyes are just trying to follow the world litterally spinning before my eyes. Now see how sick you feel. Yeah sounds not so fun. It really makes me sick again thinking about how bad that was.
Since the vertigo didn't getting better, and I was severely dehydrated because I hadn't kept food down for 24 hours, we finally decided to head to the ER. Thanks to our wonderful neighbors who happened to be home on a saturday afternoon, Aric drove me to the ER while the neighbors watched our kids and fed them lunch on a moments notice.
At the ER they had lots of trouble getting an IV started so I told Aric to do it. While the nurse was gone he started the IV and she came back in just in time to help him tape it in place. He told her "Not bad for a Plumber, huh?" I wish I could have seen her face. Aric said she just looked wide eyed, started the IV meds and left. She didn't say a thing to anyone, everyone thought someone else started it, she was probably worried this would come back to haunt her. Little did she know Aric was a doctor in the hospital. Atleast Aric got me to laugh. He's always go for a laugh. The ER decided that we should follow-up with ENT, because they thought it may be BPPV. They ruled out anything central like a tumor, or stroke. That is always a joy when they bring up words like that, but atleast they ruled it out. I was finally keeping food down so they discharged me.
Monday I had an appointment with ENT at the May Clinic. It is nice to know people. Aric has rotated on ENT service, so he knows most of the department. And we have 2 of the ENT residents in our ward who are our friends. So it was easy to get a same day appointment. Thanks guys! I got to see first hand why Mayo is so great, so many specialties in one place, such great service. Aric pulled up, someone was there to bring a wheelchair for me. I never really paid attention to those people standing outside that seemed more like doormen at a hotel. As I sit in the lobby waiting for Aric to park to take me to my appointment (we declined the door-to-door service) I listened to beautiful music on the grand piano. Someone old guy tried to talk to me, but I decided that it was not worth turning my head and opening my eyes and possibly throwing up. I could feel everyone staring at me. I know I looked horrible, I just pulled my hat down lower and tried not to move. We checked in at the ENT counter, and then sat down in a corner. Aric said I looked like the sickest person there. Hurray! It was excruciating sitting up, the vertigo was terrible, I just wanted my bed. I still hadn't opened my eyes much since Saturday, so I just clutched my barf bucket we took from the ER hoping I wouldn't need it out in the lobby. I just wanted to get this over with. We finally got in and talked to our resident friends. One of our friends, Doug H., just patted my head at the sight of how pathetic I looked. To sum up the conversation, the Doctors and I decided no steroids at first because of the baby. If I didn't get better, than maybe more tests, rethink meds. They thought it would be about two weeks for me to be all better, such that I would be driving- I knew that I would have to be all better before I drove, the people on the road don't need to suffer too. A month tops. But the likelihood of that seemed impossible at the time.
So for about a week Aric ditched medical school and took care of me full-time. He feed me in bed, wiped the crumbs off my face, brushed my teeth, and seriously had to drag me to the bathroom. It was a very humbling experience. Not one I would be happy to repeat. But he was awesome. I never had to ask for anything he always anticipated what I needed. Thanks Aric you are truly amazing. All those muscles aren't just for show. Brecklen and Hannah would sometimes join in a feed me too. I didn't know if I wanted them to do that, I think it ended up being good for Brecklen, he was so sweet. Thanks to our wonderful, wonderful friends, Aric was able to take care of me and the house without the kids during the day. It was so nice to not have to worry about them. I knew they were having a much better time at their friends houses then they would have had at home. Thanks to Darin and Beth, Lydia, Janee, Jen G., Ann, and Tonya. You guys are amazing friends and without you our family would have fallen apart. Thanks for the dinners and watching our kids ALL day every day that crazy week. You came to our rescue! I am your babysitter for life, or for as long as we live in Rochester.
After a week things had not progressed quickly at all. The vertigo was as strong and fast as ever, I still couldn't walk anywhere, except stumble to the bathroom on my own and feed myself. It's ok to laugh, it's funny, but it that was big progress for me. We decided that we had used our friends for too long and it was time to call in the reinforcements, my mother. I wanted me friends to still like me when this was all over. So we called my mom Friday, and she was here Saturday. Aric couldn't have been more relieved. He was, I'm sure, exhausted from a long week of taking care of everything, and truly needed a break. He had medical school finals coming up next week and needed to pass so that the med school couldn't complain that he ditched class.
It was quite an adjustment for the kids though. Hannah rebelled alot, didn't want my mom to do anything for her, but my mom just plugged along like it didn't phase her. Although Aric kept the house spotless, I have to say it was cleaner then when I'm in charge, my mom had a weeks worth of laundry to do.
That second week I was making short trips to the living room so my kids wouldn't forget they had a mom. I was reading, although it was hard to focus. My vision is still off, everything is sort of blurry. But then it is hard to focus when the world is spinning. It was getting frustrating because the doctors expected me to be well and driving by now. I have only made it outside of my house to go to see the doctor, and then only being carried to the car, and by a wheelchair to get around. Not on my own two feet yet. I could stumble around my house, with the use of walls. At the end of my second week I visit my Obstetrician. She's like my girlfriend, so it was nice to see her. She thought baby would be okay, but has never treated anyone with Vestibular Neuritis. Aric couldn't find anything published on the subject either. That didn't make me feel good. So it's pretty uncommon to get this at all, and even rarer, perhaps never happened (or most likely no has ever taken the time to publish) that anyone as fortunate as myself has comedown with this while pregnant. I really do have incredible luck(for the unfortunate). It was interesting going back to the Mayo Clinic in a wheelchair. I didn't get to see anyone staring at me last time, but this time people would look at me and I could see what they were thinking. Why is she in a wheelchair? What's wrong with her? Everyone moves out of the way for you and gives you the look of pity. It was quite a social experiment. I told Aric his med school class should do this to see what it's really like to be on the other side of things. Aric had his own fun. He kept flipping my chair up and when he took me outside to sit and wait for him he asked me if I needed a smoke. I of course laughed because it was so random and declined. There were a few people outside with us and am sure were wondering why this pregnant girl sitting in a wheelchair would dare to smoke. Good thing she didn't, no wonder she's in a wheelchair! I just had to laugh because first of all I don't smoke, just in case any of you doubted, but I was picturing what it would look like if I did.
My OB doc approved steroids. Said baby would be fine. So we contacted ENT and they wrote the prescription. Things didn't get better. Actually they got worse, so we started to worry that it could be something more serious. They kicked up the steroids a notch and that seemed to do the trick, after about a week. Slowly things started to finally progress. I was able to move around more, but not quite able to go outside and walk around. During this time Hannah came down with the stomach flu. That was really fun. I couldn't help out much, but Aric and my mom had to clean up lots of throw up. I was REALLY glad my mom was here to help me with that.
By the beginning of my third week, I was going stir crazy. I thought I knew what cabin fever meant living through many Minnesota winters. I was ready to jump out the window by this time just to be outside. I really just wanted to go outside and run around with my kids. Aric had a Chief Dinner coming up and it was my goal to be there. This is pretty much a graduation of the 6 year Oral Surgery program. It is not something to miss. I had missed out on alot these past few weeks and wanted a life again. So I went to the mall with my mom and the kids to go looking for some flat shoes so I atleast wouldn't fall on my face while trying to look presentable to Aric's work friends and colleagues. This was the first time in 3 weeks I walked outside of my house on my own to feet. It was momentous, at least to me. It was not really fun being at the mall, though. Turning around and looking for my kids all the time was very nauseating. I was so tired! I guess sitting in your bed doesn't do wonders for your circulation. We had a fun time at the Chief Dinner, and I didn't fall or make a fool of myself. I just tried to sit as much as possible. It was really nice to get out of the house and have a great meal too!
Well, then things took a turn for the worse. Talk about kicking someone when they are really down. I really love the kiddie play area in the mall, but it is full of germs, and sometimes we get really sick after playing there. This was no exception. I don't know what it is about Rochester, but illnesses seem to move through this city like a wave. You just have to wait for your turn to get hit. Early Monday morning (1:30am) Brecklen and I got hit with the stomach flu. I heard Brecklen at the top of the stairs so I came up the stairs to see what was the matter and stepped in his vomit. I took him to the bathroom to help him throw up more, went to clean the other vomit up that I stepped in, while seriously trying to not throw up myself. I didn't want to clean that up too. I was still in my "drunken" stupor of dizziness and not able to move around well, this took alot of effort. I go get him settled after ripping his gross sheets off and then I make a bed on the floor in his room for me. Trash buckets for both of us. We both threw up about every half hour for many hours. Brecklen eventually stopped throwing up, but not me. I kept throwing up into the day. Aric had to actually go into work that day, but thankfully my mom was there to take care of us all and saved the day again. Brecklen just sat around and didn't eat anything, but I was on my death bed. It was bad. I couldn't eat or drink and was getting worse by the hour. I layed in my bed all day, not doing a thing and I couldn't sleep. By the time Aric go home he was worried, not much worries him. He was about to take me to the ER again to get IV fluids, but he would just try one thing. I had one more lingual Zofran ( my saving grace). You just put it under your tongue and it dissolves. It helps keep you from throwing up so you can eat. Aric was able to keep me from throwing up my water by lots of distraction, and in time I was able to hold water and food down. That was close, we made it out of the woods. It set me back a bit on my recovery as a whole, but I was glad to be over the flu. So here I am a few days later doing better. Today I think I am going to try to go outside with my kids and walk around. My mom is going to be here another week. I hope I will be all better by then, but I think it's just going to take a long time for me to feel completely normal. But at least for the time I can walk outside with my kids and watch them run around. I don't want to miss out on them growing up.
Thank you to so many who helped me and also prayed for me during this time. It was much appreciated, and your kindness won't be forgotten.
For those sick of looking at my raccoon picture, here is my adventure of the last month. Forewarning, it is going to be an epic, because some day when I look back on this I will wonder if it really was that bad, and I can say yes, it was, but it also could have been so much worse-I don't have a terminal illness, atleast I think this will go away. First of all I'm still alive (not that I would have died from this, but sometimes it felt that way), second, I can stand on my own two feet, still dizzy and nauseous, but I can stand, although my mom can say I'm not a very nice person right now. I am grumpy from feeling crappy, it still is uncomfortable to stand and pretend that I'm all there. But it is nice to interact with my kids again, although I feel we have some role reversal going on. Brecklen will hold out his hand and slowly guide me to what he wants me to see. He has really grown up, and I am so proud of him for that.
A month ago I was cleaning my house in a rage as I sometimes do when no one seems to be bothering me. To back up, I was feeling very sick all day. Threw up many times that morning, chalked it up to morning sickness, probably still was. I was supposed to do some errands, since the kids were at preschool, but decided to treat myself to a pedicure that was given to me for a birthday present. In hindsight that was the best thing I ever did. I usually don't do stuff like that for myself and it felt sooo good. Although I never understood a word anyone said to me since the moment I walked in to get the pedicure. What a strange place, I felt like I was in a foreign country.
Anyway back to the cleaning.... I was feeling a little better in the evening, so I decided to clean my house. I always do so in a panic because I never know how long I will have to be left alone, or how long before my nausea catches up with me and I'm forced to stop. I was putting clothes away in Brecklen's room sitting on his bed when all of the sudden I felt this overwhelming sense of nausea and dizziness. I ran to the bathroom to take a Zofran (I owe my life to this saint of anti-nausea medicine), and just layed on the couch. I felt awful! I waited for the Zofran to kick in but it never did. Aric took the kids on a walk and I declined to go. When they came back 2 hours later I was still in the same position. I tried to help give the kids a bath but I was useless. I didn't know what was wrong with me. But little did I know the worst was yet to come. That whole night I tossed and turned all feeling very dizzy.
About 5:30am I woke up and opened my eyes and my eyes wouldn't stop moving and the world was spinning very rapidly. I woke up Aric after a couple of minutes. I thought I was going to lose my eyesight because my eyes just wouldn't quit moving, which I found out was a nystagmas (jumpy eyes). That was really scary, I was freaking out. I tried to walk and didn't get anywhere. Right back to bed. Aric got up to look into it. I have never been so happy that he is a doctor, maybe all those student loans actually will pay off! Meanwhile I am laying in bed covering my eyes from all light so that my eyes can't look at anything so they would stop moving and trying not moving my head at all so the world would stop spinning from all the vertigo. This was the lowest point of my life. I knew something was very,very wrong. I prayed so hard that I would be able to see my kids again and was trying to picture their little faces. I was also afraid that it wasn't just my eyesight and that it is possible that I am going crazy. Why would the world spin like this?! If it never stopped then I was going to go crazy! No joke. After praying for what seemed like forever, I finally found some peace that I knew everything was going to be alright eventually. I heard a voice in my mind "God healeth and dwelleth in your heart." It wasn't loud, but it was very clear. I also knew that it wasn't me saying it to myself because A. I don't talk like that and B. the Spirit said in YOUR heart. If I said I to myself I would have said something like God will heal me, not something so eloquent out of an old English novel when I wasn't even coherent to myself. So I just kept repeating it over and over in my mind to focus, and I didn't want to forget it.
Aric came back with some diagnoses. I was surprised to hear that it wasn't my eyes (or my brain for that matter), but my ears. One diagnosis was Vestibular Neuritis, a virus which attacks the ear causing inflammation (which is what I have), the other was BPPV, which essentially is a like having a kidney stone in your ear, throwing you off balance. They both have very similar presentation. So we hoped for the better of the two, BPPV, which is treatable (although not at all fun) by putting the "stone" back where it belongs in the ear canal. We decided to attempt the "repositioning" by doing a series of head movements. This was the most excruciating part. It technically wasn't painful, but nauseating to the worst degree. I threw up ALOT. The dizziness was overwhelming. I had to move my head to one side, then the other and then lay back and then turn over. I had no control of my body, I was a dead weight. Aric basically had to do this all for me, making sure I didn't hurt myself in the process. We had to do this multiple times to make sure it worked. So I guess to explain how I felt, imagine someone spinning you around over, and over, and over, but NEVER stopping. And then on top of that you can't stop your eyes from moving side to side, it's like my brain really thinks someone is preverse enough to spin me around forever and ever on a boat, and my eyes are just trying to follow the world litterally spinning before my eyes. Now see how sick you feel. Yeah sounds not so fun. It really makes me sick again thinking about how bad that was.
Since the vertigo didn't getting better, and I was severely dehydrated because I hadn't kept food down for 24 hours, we finally decided to head to the ER. Thanks to our wonderful neighbors who happened to be home on a saturday afternoon, Aric drove me to the ER while the neighbors watched our kids and fed them lunch on a moments notice.
At the ER they had lots of trouble getting an IV started so I told Aric to do it. While the nurse was gone he started the IV and she came back in just in time to help him tape it in place. He told her "Not bad for a Plumber, huh?" I wish I could have seen her face. Aric said she just looked wide eyed, started the IV meds and left. She didn't say a thing to anyone, everyone thought someone else started it, she was probably worried this would come back to haunt her. Little did she know Aric was a doctor in the hospital. Atleast Aric got me to laugh. He's always go for a laugh. The ER decided that we should follow-up with ENT, because they thought it may be BPPV. They ruled out anything central like a tumor, or stroke. That is always a joy when they bring up words like that, but atleast they ruled it out. I was finally keeping food down so they discharged me.
Monday I had an appointment with ENT at the May Clinic. It is nice to know people. Aric has rotated on ENT service, so he knows most of the department. And we have 2 of the ENT residents in our ward who are our friends. So it was easy to get a same day appointment. Thanks guys! I got to see first hand why Mayo is so great, so many specialties in one place, such great service. Aric pulled up, someone was there to bring a wheelchair for me. I never really paid attention to those people standing outside that seemed more like doormen at a hotel. As I sit in the lobby waiting for Aric to park to take me to my appointment (we declined the door-to-door service) I listened to beautiful music on the grand piano. Someone old guy tried to talk to me, but I decided that it was not worth turning my head and opening my eyes and possibly throwing up. I could feel everyone staring at me. I know I looked horrible, I just pulled my hat down lower and tried not to move. We checked in at the ENT counter, and then sat down in a corner. Aric said I looked like the sickest person there. Hurray! It was excruciating sitting up, the vertigo was terrible, I just wanted my bed. I still hadn't opened my eyes much since Saturday, so I just clutched my barf bucket we took from the ER hoping I wouldn't need it out in the lobby. I just wanted to get this over with. We finally got in and talked to our resident friends. One of our friends, Doug H., just patted my head at the sight of how pathetic I looked. To sum up the conversation, the Doctors and I decided no steroids at first because of the baby. If I didn't get better, than maybe more tests, rethink meds. They thought it would be about two weeks for me to be all better, such that I would be driving- I knew that I would have to be all better before I drove, the people on the road don't need to suffer too. A month tops. But the likelihood of that seemed impossible at the time.
So for about a week Aric ditched medical school and took care of me full-time. He feed me in bed, wiped the crumbs off my face, brushed my teeth, and seriously had to drag me to the bathroom. It was a very humbling experience. Not one I would be happy to repeat. But he was awesome. I never had to ask for anything he always anticipated what I needed. Thanks Aric you are truly amazing. All those muscles aren't just for show. Brecklen and Hannah would sometimes join in a feed me too. I didn't know if I wanted them to do that, I think it ended up being good for Brecklen, he was so sweet. Thanks to our wonderful, wonderful friends, Aric was able to take care of me and the house without the kids during the day. It was so nice to not have to worry about them. I knew they were having a much better time at their friends houses then they would have had at home. Thanks to Darin and Beth, Lydia, Janee, Jen G., Ann, and Tonya. You guys are amazing friends and without you our family would have fallen apart. Thanks for the dinners and watching our kids ALL day every day that crazy week. You came to our rescue! I am your babysitter for life, or for as long as we live in Rochester.
After a week things had not progressed quickly at all. The vertigo was as strong and fast as ever, I still couldn't walk anywhere, except stumble to the bathroom on my own and feed myself. It's ok to laugh, it's funny, but it that was big progress for me. We decided that we had used our friends for too long and it was time to call in the reinforcements, my mother. I wanted me friends to still like me when this was all over. So we called my mom Friday, and she was here Saturday. Aric couldn't have been more relieved. He was, I'm sure, exhausted from a long week of taking care of everything, and truly needed a break. He had medical school finals coming up next week and needed to pass so that the med school couldn't complain that he ditched class.
It was quite an adjustment for the kids though. Hannah rebelled alot, didn't want my mom to do anything for her, but my mom just plugged along like it didn't phase her. Although Aric kept the house spotless, I have to say it was cleaner then when I'm in charge, my mom had a weeks worth of laundry to do.
That second week I was making short trips to the living room so my kids wouldn't forget they had a mom. I was reading, although it was hard to focus. My vision is still off, everything is sort of blurry. But then it is hard to focus when the world is spinning. It was getting frustrating because the doctors expected me to be well and driving by now. I have only made it outside of my house to go to see the doctor, and then only being carried to the car, and by a wheelchair to get around. Not on my own two feet yet. I could stumble around my house, with the use of walls. At the end of my second week I visit my Obstetrician. She's like my girlfriend, so it was nice to see her. She thought baby would be okay, but has never treated anyone with Vestibular Neuritis. Aric couldn't find anything published on the subject either. That didn't make me feel good. So it's pretty uncommon to get this at all, and even rarer, perhaps never happened (or most likely no has ever taken the time to publish) that anyone as fortunate as myself has comedown with this while pregnant. I really do have incredible luck(for the unfortunate). It was interesting going back to the Mayo Clinic in a wheelchair. I didn't get to see anyone staring at me last time, but this time people would look at me and I could see what they were thinking. Why is she in a wheelchair? What's wrong with her? Everyone moves out of the way for you and gives you the look of pity. It was quite a social experiment. I told Aric his med school class should do this to see what it's really like to be on the other side of things. Aric had his own fun. He kept flipping my chair up and when he took me outside to sit and wait for him he asked me if I needed a smoke. I of course laughed because it was so random and declined. There were a few people outside with us and am sure were wondering why this pregnant girl sitting in a wheelchair would dare to smoke. Good thing she didn't, no wonder she's in a wheelchair! I just had to laugh because first of all I don't smoke, just in case any of you doubted, but I was picturing what it would look like if I did.
My OB doc approved steroids. Said baby would be fine. So we contacted ENT and they wrote the prescription. Things didn't get better. Actually they got worse, so we started to worry that it could be something more serious. They kicked up the steroids a notch and that seemed to do the trick, after about a week. Slowly things started to finally progress. I was able to move around more, but not quite able to go outside and walk around. During this time Hannah came down with the stomach flu. That was really fun. I couldn't help out much, but Aric and my mom had to clean up lots of throw up. I was REALLY glad my mom was here to help me with that.
By the beginning of my third week, I was going stir crazy. I thought I knew what cabin fever meant living through many Minnesota winters. I was ready to jump out the window by this time just to be outside. I really just wanted to go outside and run around with my kids. Aric had a Chief Dinner coming up and it was my goal to be there. This is pretty much a graduation of the 6 year Oral Surgery program. It is not something to miss. I had missed out on alot these past few weeks and wanted a life again. So I went to the mall with my mom and the kids to go looking for some flat shoes so I atleast wouldn't fall on my face while trying to look presentable to Aric's work friends and colleagues. This was the first time in 3 weeks I walked outside of my house on my own to feet. It was momentous, at least to me. It was not really fun being at the mall, though. Turning around and looking for my kids all the time was very nauseating. I was so tired! I guess sitting in your bed doesn't do wonders for your circulation. We had a fun time at the Chief Dinner, and I didn't fall or make a fool of myself. I just tried to sit as much as possible. It was really nice to get out of the house and have a great meal too!
Well, then things took a turn for the worse. Talk about kicking someone when they are really down. I really love the kiddie play area in the mall, but it is full of germs, and sometimes we get really sick after playing there. This was no exception. I don't know what it is about Rochester, but illnesses seem to move through this city like a wave. You just have to wait for your turn to get hit. Early Monday morning (1:30am) Brecklen and I got hit with the stomach flu. I heard Brecklen at the top of the stairs so I came up the stairs to see what was the matter and stepped in his vomit. I took him to the bathroom to help him throw up more, went to clean the other vomit up that I stepped in, while seriously trying to not throw up myself. I didn't want to clean that up too. I was still in my "drunken" stupor of dizziness and not able to move around well, this took alot of effort. I go get him settled after ripping his gross sheets off and then I make a bed on the floor in his room for me. Trash buckets for both of us. We both threw up about every half hour for many hours. Brecklen eventually stopped throwing up, but not me. I kept throwing up into the day. Aric had to actually go into work that day, but thankfully my mom was there to take care of us all and saved the day again. Brecklen just sat around and didn't eat anything, but I was on my death bed. It was bad. I couldn't eat or drink and was getting worse by the hour. I layed in my bed all day, not doing a thing and I couldn't sleep. By the time Aric go home he was worried, not much worries him. He was about to take me to the ER again to get IV fluids, but he would just try one thing. I had one more lingual Zofran ( my saving grace). You just put it under your tongue and it dissolves. It helps keep you from throwing up so you can eat. Aric was able to keep me from throwing up my water by lots of distraction, and in time I was able to hold water and food down. That was close, we made it out of the woods. It set me back a bit on my recovery as a whole, but I was glad to be over the flu. So here I am a few days later doing better. Today I think I am going to try to go outside with my kids and walk around. My mom is going to be here another week. I hope I will be all better by then, but I think it's just going to take a long time for me to feel completely normal. But at least for the time I can walk outside with my kids and watch them run around. I don't want to miss out on them growing up.
Thank you to so many who helped me and also prayed for me during this time. It was much appreciated, and your kindness won't be forgotten.
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