Odysseys and Oddities

Previous 20

Nov. 16th, 2009

It's the little things that make you want to scream

location: parked in the glider

mood:

anxious

music: How It's Made

So. My last entry talked about the bad things that could potentially be coming up in October. We seem to have dodged the bullet on some, but dang if all the little crap isn't trying to bury me.

Let's start at the beginning, with the best thing! October 12, daughter #2, formerly known as Spike, made her appearance. Everything went fine, everybody was health and happy, and delivery & recovery was smooth & uneventful for all involved. Sylvie Nox was 8 lbs, 14 oz, and 19.75 inches - big, but not huge, and the exact same size as her sister.
( Pictures, you say? )

Tags: baby, spike, state of the me

Sep. 25th, 2009

October

music: "I've Got A Secret Miniature Camera," Peter Murphy

You know, I should just label October as one of *those* months, and leave it at that. And yes, I know we're not actually IN October yet, but.....last year, October was pretty rough, and it appears that this year will be the same.

Good things : Of course, Spike will be arriving on October 12, that's a pretty powerful positive! And October is generally a beautiful month in North Texas, and autumn is my favorite season. I'll be on maternity leave before Spike's birth, so I may actually have a little time to relax, besides being able to get a lot done.

Bad things : M will most likely be getting laid off just before the baby is born. And, at the end of the month, my father will go to Sloane-Kettering in NYC to find out why his PSA is rising again. Increased PSA now mean either there was a bit of normal tissue that was missed during his prostatectomy, OR the cancer has returned. Or it could also mean pretty much nothing - the tests he's doing are really super-sensitive and the levels they are detecting are really low. Apparently the literature on this subject is quite contradictory, which is why he's going to Sloane-Kettering to see the current expert on this particular situation.

So right now, October is sort of split between very good things and very bad things. Last year, I lost my cat and had a series of medical & household misadventures. Hopefully this will not be an worsening trend!

Sep. 14th, 2009

R.I.P.

Not as if it was unexpected....but damn.

Requiscat in Pace, Patrick Swayze....

Aug. 11th, 2009

I like it!

Found via

brigidsblest.

DBAD

Posted at 01:28 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Jul. 26th, 2009

What to do, what to do...

location: Home

mood:

calm

music: "Blues Power," Eric Clapton

So, I'm on vacation this week, and Squeaker is off school (this would be WHY I'm taking vacation this week - otherwise, I'd be saving it up until the week before my maternity leave starts!). I have a few things planned, but I'm looking for more ideas. I had originally planned that two days I would be taking her to Adventure Kids for a few hours so I could get some things done, but given M's upcoming job loss, that didn't seem the greatest idea at this point.

Yesterday, we went downtown to the Farmer's Market, and spent a large chunk of the day there (thanks for the inspiration, J!). Today, we went to Main Event in Frisco, and burned up some leftover game cards that M had from a couple of corporate events he attended there.

Tuesday, we will be going to see Ice Age 3 with my sister and her kids, and then spend the rest of the day at their house (& pool!!!). Squeaker's never been to a movie in the theatre before, but she ADORES Ice Age, so I'm predicting a great day that day =)

We're also supposed to go and spend one day/afternoon with a friend of mine and her kids at their house, for a "Slip-n-Slide" party.

One day, I want to take Squeaker to the Museum of Nature & Science, which has a terrific Children's Museum. That will likely take the entire day, as it will take us more than an hour to get there.

So, that's 3 days. Just have to come up with ideas for the rest of the week! Unfortunately, a lot of the things I'd *like* to do with her, are too expensive (the Dallas World Aquarium or the zoo), too hot (can't go to the playgrounds because the equipment gets so hot it burns the kids!), or I'm just not up for (being 7 months pregnant in July in Texas SUCKS, I tell you!).

We have the local lake, and also the community pool, which we will definitely take advantage of. But it's also predicted to be rainy at least part of the week. I want to do some of my freezer-stocking this week, in prep for when the baby comes, and I can usually convince her to help me with that. But does anybody have any neat activity ideas for 3-year-olds?

I'm both looking forward to and dreading this week. I love spending time with my daughter of course, especially when I can do it whole-heartedly (ie not trying to both work and pay attention to her), but I'm afraid I won't be able to find enough for us to do that will keep us both engaged and entertained.

Tags: squeaker

Jul. 15th, 2009

damn it

mood:

pissed off

Looks like M will be out of a job in a couple of weeks, unless he manages to pull the lucky straw for once.

This happened at just about the same point in my pregnancy with Squeaker too.

Yay.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck. We were just getting caught up after the last time he got laid off, too.

Tags: employment, home

Jul. 8th, 2009

Trying to keep it together

You know, I adore my daughter, but she is going through a bit of a challenging phase right now. I know, she's 3 and a half, that's what she does. But it is not coinciding well with me being off my medication, nor does it combine well with the lovely hormonal fluxes of pregnancy.

My work load has increased lately, which is actually a good thing, but it means more time spent, you know...working. My usual day goes something like this:
Get up and work for about an hour before Squeaker gets up
Get her ready for school and take her there
Work for 6 hours or so before I go pick her up.
Spend time with her, go to the pool, play in the yard, shopping, whatever, then dinner, bath, bed
Work for another couple of hours before *I* go to bed.

But because the last week or so she has been refusing to go to sleep, those two hours in the evening that I had to work are being eaten up with repeatedly having to go in and put her back to bed. So I end up staying up too late to try to get my work finished, and then I can't get up in the morning..and I just keep getting further and further behind.

Also, it would be nice to actually be able to relax occasionally. If I can find a spare minute, I have to spend it doing things like laundry or cleaning.

Oh, and because she's not going to sleep until late, she's also not wanting to get up in the morning, which makes our mornings really terrible.

She's also decided that eating isn't necessary. I'll make her what she wants to eat, and then she'll refuse to eat it. If she were consistently picky, I could deal with that! But the only food that she will always eat is ice cream, and despite the fact that it has protein & calcium....it's not exactly a healthy meal!

These are all things that I would be able to handle fairly easily at any other time. But between being off the meds & 6 months pregnant....well, it's not that easy. I really need a break, a few days off from everything. The likelihood of that, however, is pretty small.

On the brighter side, M is being surprisingly understanding and helpful about the whole thing. This makes me happy.

Jun. 27th, 2009

How do you know it's hot?

location: air conditioning

mood: finally cooling down

When the 5.5 months pregnant lady spends 6 hours outside, drinks approximately 200 fluid ounces of liquids, and never once has to go pee.

That's HOT.

Tags: heat, summer, weather

Apr. 30th, 2009

Time for a break

I think I'm going to take a break from LJ and probably Facebook as well for a while. It's not as if I post all that much anyway, but I'm just spending way too much time keeping up with my friends' list and communities. There are far better things I could be doing with my time.

Anyway, I'll be back, but just wanted folks to know I've not completely fallen off the earth, if I'm not commenting much.

Take care of yourselves!

Apr. 11th, 2009

Nurf

mood:

annoyed

Can I just say, I'm glad this is going to be the last time I go through this (barring any unpleasant, unforeseen circumstances)? This pregnancy, while much easier than some I'm sure, is a lot rougher than the one with Squeaker. Of course, this is quite likely to be BECAUSE of Squeaker, as it's a lot harder to deal with upset tummy & constant exhaustion when you have a 3 year old to keep up with!

This has been a week from hell. Squeaker's been home sick from school since last Thursday, which means I've been trying to work AND take care of her, which SUCKS - either one I can do just fine, but try to do both at once and it's impossible. Also, she was sick enough that when I took her to the doctor on Tuesday, he recommended we get her tested for whooping cough. So we did that, but we didn't get the results until Thursday afternoon, which meant she was essentially quarantined for two days. I didn't *think* she had pertussis, but I sure as hell didn't want to be responsible for starting an outbreak in this area!

And before anyone asks, yes, she had the vaccination. The last shot was at 2, and the booster is at 4 -- doc said that between 3 and 4, the effectiveness of the vax can start to fade. And they've been seeing a few cases in the area, mostly in kids who hadn't been vax'd, so they knew it was in the area. Better safe than sorry. (When I am not so tired, I will be making a long, ranty McRanty-post about several topics having to do with pregnancy and parenting, one of which is choosing not to vaccinate.)

But because of the possibility, we had to miss the family seder on Wednesday night, which really sucked.

I've now got what Squeaker had, and so does M. But M, of course, is acting like he's at death's door, while I'm still having to continue on taking care of everything. I'm really tired of it. I just don't get it. I'm sick too (with the exact same thing, no less), but I don't get to take a break. But g-d forbid I should expect him to do anything when he's sick. Oh well. Life goes on, I suppose.

Mar. 31st, 2009

Awwww :)

mood:

calm

I'm about 99% sure I'm feeling the first baby movements, little brushing flutters in my tummy. After the minor drama of the beginning of this pregnancy and the uncertainties of the first trimester, this is very reassuring.

I'm debating whether or not I want to take 2 classes this summer. If I do, I will graduate either next May, or in August (depending on when I can do Capstone). I barely made it the last time I attempted two classes. These will both be technical classes, though, which I enjoy a lot more than the "theory" courses, so that will help. I'm definitely not taking a class in the fall. I can't imagine dealing with a 3 year old, a newborn, AND graduate school, even if I will be on maternity leave for most of the semester.

Things with M continue to be OK. He is perhaps a little more withdrawn than normal, but otherwise OK -- plays with Squeaker, hangs out with me, talks to me, laughs....pretty normal stuff. Still going to schedule some time with a counselor. I'm trying to get a recommendation from my favorite guy, as he is just too far away - it would be a total of 3 hours out of the work day to see him, and we can't do that on a regular basis.

The newest stressor is financial: trying to pay off debt and still pay the bills and put food on the table, while dealing with at 15% paycut. I mean, I'm glad I still have a job and all, but OUCH. Supposedly 10% of that is temporary, and we should get that back at the end of April. I'll believe that when I see it. They sent out a note that said "Everybody who is salaried gets a 5% paycut, starting in March." Fine. THEN, a few weeks later, they send out a note (at 4 PM on a Friday, no less) that says, "US and Puerto Rico employees, you will also have an additional 10% paycut for the month of April." You know why that wasn't company wide? Because worker protections in the EU state that employees must agree to a paycut or the company can't do it. United States workers have no such protections. I tell ya, sometimes I really wish I lived in Europe!

But all in all, things are OK. Just kind of keeping on, keeping on.

Mar. 19th, 2009

It's that time...

mood:

calm

Happy birthday,

revrb!!! Hope it is being a wonderful day, and the start of the best year every :)

Tags: birthday

Mar. 12th, 2009

I'm tired

mood:

tired

The dogs has hives, and I can't figure out what the heck she's reacting to -- we haven't changed anything, no new food, no new laundry detergent that I might have washed her blankets in, nothing. Benadryl is not working so very well, and she is driving me INSANE -- pacing, whining, woke me up every hour last night to be let out (at which point she would stand outside the door and whine to be let back in). I'm trying to avoid taking her to the vet for a cortisone shot, as they haven't had much affect in the past with her various skin issues and it's caused other problems as a result, but I might have to try it -- running out of ideas! We're going to try an oatmeal bath next. This should be interesting, since she's not exactly a small dog.
Yesterday, I got up and let her out in the morning, all bleary and sleepy. When she came back inside, I took one look at her and said "Homigod, what happened to YOU???" Her head was so swollen her lips were STIFF and one eye was swollen almost completely shut, the other was swollen too but not nearly so badly. I immediately gave her Benadryl, and within 30 minutes or so, I could see it was getting better. She never seemed to have any difficulty breathing, and was eating and drinking OK. So the head swelling went away completely and for about two hours she was normal. THen all of a sudden she erupts in hives all over her -- obviously itchy and uncomfortable, but otherwise not threatening (judging from her behavior). Gave her more Benadryl in the evening, and the hives subsided. This morning, they're back, and the Benadryl does not seem to be doing a thing. I feel so sorry for her, she's obviously uncomfortable, but I don't know what else to do! The topical treatments I'm doing (oatmeal, green tea, etc) definitely help, but don't last long, and she can't spend the whole day in the bathtub (not that she would anyway). And if I can't figure out what she's reacting to, it's not going to stop.

Also, the baby has a cold. So when I wasn't up with the dog, I was dealing with her coughing and crying for me.

And let's not forget the whole being pregnant thing too.

Yeah, I'm a bit beat today. *yawn*

Oh well. This too shall pass.

Tags: dogs, pregnancy, squeaker

Mar. 2nd, 2009

Woooo!

location: Home

mood:

ecstatic

music: "Walk Like an Egyptian" Bangles

You know that 15% chance that I was NOT having a miscarriage? Guess what!!

Went in today for the follow-up U/S. Was expecting to see all the same -- nothing, and then schedule a D&C...but the moment the images came up on the screen, even I could see that something was there this time.

And then I could see the little heart going *blub*blub*blub*

I guess it just didn't want it's picture taken last time, because this week it's measuring right on target and matches up with my dates.

I think I shall call it Spike until we know enough to come up with real names :-)

*Does the happy dance*

Of course, now I have to tell M that there is going to be a baby after all.....and he is not going to be so happy. But he will adapt. I hope.

Tags: pregnancy

Feb. 25th, 2009

Jamming

location: home

mood: surviving

Stolen from

blackholly, "My Life in iTunes"

( Cut so as not to be annoying )

Tags: meme madness

Posted at 09:06 pm | Link | Leave a comment | Add to Memories | Tell a Friend

Feb. 23rd, 2009

Well

location: Home

mood:

sad

music: "High" The Cure

Two weeks ago, I got a positive pregnancy test. This morning was my first doctor's appointment.

It appears I am no longer pregnant. There is an amniotic sac, but nothing inside it - no fetal pole, no yolk sac, and no heartbeat, which they should have been able to see at 6 weeks. Somewhere along the line, something went awry, and the pregnancy failed.

*sigh* Doctor said that there is a small possibility that it is just too early to pick up anything, but that is unlikely, given that I'm sure of my dates. She took some blood to check the hCG levels, and there will be another sono next week, but she's about 85% sure this is a miscarriage.

My first thought was that M would be thrilled, how sad is that?

This pregnancy was not precisely planned, and the timing could have been better (like perhaps a time when we are not both afraid for our jobs!), but I'm still a bit sad. Well, maybe next time. If there is one.

I do hope that it passes on it's own, though. I really don't want to have a D&C.

Tags: loss, pregnancy

Feb. 19th, 2009

BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

mood:

amused

Catholic Church launches full-on anti-abortion campaign as a result of SPAM

Haven't they ever heard of Snopes???

Jan. 15th, 2009

Everything at once

It is not easy to try to create a reasonable schedule to allow for sleep, work, school, a little relaxation, and exercise, as well as create a meal plan (something I've never done before) that is healthy, varied, and cheap.

But I'm giving it my best shot.

Tags: food, health, money

Jan. 1st, 2009

2008 Books I Have Read Poll

mood:

curious

Tell me if you've ever read any of these:

Poll #1323884 2008 Books Read
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 82

I am taking this poll :

View Answers

Ticky!!
73 (100.0%)

Non-fiction

View Answers

Systems Analysis for Librarians and Information Professionals, Larry Osborne
1 (6.7%)

All My Patients Are Under the Bed, Louis Camuti
2 (13.3%)

The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan
4 (26.7%)

Your child at play. growing up, language, and the imagination, Marilyn Segal
0 (0.0%)

1,003 great things about being Jewish, Lisa Birnbach
0 (0.0%)

The End of Faith, Sam Harris
3 (20.0%)

Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language, Richard Lederer
5 (33.3%)

How to find morels, Milan Pelouch
0 (0.0%)

Graphic Novels

View Answers

Fables Vol 1 : Legends in Exile
14 (63.6%)

Fables Vol 2 : Animal Farm
9 (40.9%)

Fables Vol 3 : Storybook Love
8 (36.4%)

Fables Vol 4 : March of the Wooden Soldiers
7 (31.8%)

Fables Vol 5 : The Mean Seasons
5 (22.7%)

Lucifer Vol 1 : Devil in the Gateway
3 (13.6%)

Girl Genius Vol 4 : Agatha Heterodyne and the Circus of Dream
5 (22.7%)

Girl Genius Vol 5 : Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess
5 (22.7%)

Marvel 1602
12 (54.5%)

Strangers in Paradise : Flower to Flame
3 (13.6%)

Young Adult

View Answers

Trickster's Choice, Tamora Pierce
11 (22.0%)

Trickster's Queen, Tamora Pierce
11 (22.0%)

Twilight, Stephanie Meyer
23 (46.0%)

Coraline, Neil Gaiman
22 (44.0%)

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
10 (20.0%)

The Field Guide, Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
4 (8.0%)

The Seeing Stone, Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
3 (6.0%)

Lucinda's Secret, Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
3 (6.0%)

Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
2 (4.0%)

Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
20 (40.0%)

The Princess Tales, Gail Carson Levine
4 (8.0%)

Social Info Change Cover Indigara, or, Jet and Otis conquer the world, Tanith Lee
1 (2.0%)

The Fire Within, Chris D'Lacey
0 (0.0%)

Fiction

View Answers

An Equal Music, Vikram Seth
2 (7.1%)

Farthing, Jo Walton
9 (32.1%)

The Awakening (Vampire Huntress), L.A. Banks
3 (10.7%)

Darwin's Radio, Greg Bear
6 (21.4%)

Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs
8 (28.6%)

The Hob's Bargain, Patricia Briggs
4 (14.3%)

Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs
9 (32.1%)

The Gypsy, Steven Brust
2 (7.1%)

Summer Knight, Jim Butcher
11 (39.3%)

Undead and Unwed, MaryJanice Davidson
3 (10.7%)

Grave Sight, Charlaine Harris
7 (25.0%)

Shakespeare's Landlord, Charlaine Harris
3 (10.7%)

Grave Surprise, Charlaine Harris
5 (17.9%)

Carpe Demon, Julie Kenner
2 (7.1%)

Carlifornia Demon, Julie Kenner
0 (0.0%)

A bit more fiction

View Answers

Reserved for the Cat, Mercedes Lackey
4 (14.3%)

The Wizard of London, Mercedes Lackey
7 (25.0%)

Social Info Change Cover Sobibor : a documentary novel of the Sobibor uprising, Michael Lev
0 (0.0%)

The Host, Stephanie Meyer
9 (32.1%)

Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
11 (39.3%)

Companion to Wolves, Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
7 (25.0%)

Dead Man Rising, Lilith Saintcrow
2 (7.1%)

Anthologies

View Answers

A Wolf at the Door, edited by Ellen Datlow
1 (12.5%)

Dreams and visions : fourteen flights of fantasy, edited by M. Jerry Weiss
0 (0.0%)

Misspelled, edited by Julie Czerneda
1 (12.5%)

Many Bloody Returns, edited by Toni Kelner
2 (25.0%)

Holidays Are Hell, Various
5 (62.5%)

Witch High, edited by Denise Little
2 (25.0%)

Enchantment Place, edited by Denise Little
2 (25.0%)

I've read none of these

View Answers

Nope, not a one.
17 (100.0%)

Tags: book poll

Dec. 20th, 2008

Yummy!

location: Home sweet home

mood:

content

Many thank yous to the inestimable

sabine791110, whose cookies have arrived and been half-devoured already. Very delicious!

I believe that was the only holiday gift, or even card, that we will receive this year, so it was doubly appreciated.

Tags: holiday, thanks

Previous 20

Odysseys and Oddities

Nov. 16th, 2009

Sep. 25th, 2009

Sep. 14th, 2009

Aug. 11th, 2009

Jul. 26th, 2009

Jul. 15th, 2009

Jul. 8th, 2009

Jun. 27th, 2009

Apr. 30th, 2009

Apr. 11th, 2009

Mar. 31st, 2009

Mar. 19th, 2009

Mar. 12th, 2009

Mar. 2nd, 2009

Feb. 25th, 2009

Feb. 23rd, 2009

Feb. 19th, 2009

Jan. 15th, 2009

Jan. 1st, 2009

Dec. 20th, 2008

November 2009

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