Mikey doesn't like this

After I stopped working (outside the home, for the large corporation), I sort of naturally assumed responsibility for a lot of the household chores.

Garbage? Check.
Laundry? Check.
Cooking? Check.
Grocery Shopping? Check.
Cleaning? Well, mostly.
Baby care? You betcha!

Because my surgeon recommended that I find a way to stay off my feet as much as possible, the majority of the above tasks have fallen to Mike.

So, on top of working 40+ hours a week, he has to try to pull my weight as well. Both Mike's and my mom have been big helps, to the extent that they can. They have willingly taken care of both Emily and I (they have a schedule all set up so that neither is saddled with us all the time), and usually they feed us dinner as well.

Yesterday, my foot started to feel lots better. I was suddenly aware that I could put some weight on it without pain. I started taking some halting steps around the house without aid of the dreaded crutches (which have given me a terrible bruise in one of my arm pits). My mom saw this and gave me a mom-type talking-to. The upshot is that she wants me to stay off my foot, so that it heals properly. Foot pain not being something to mess around with.

Mike came home last night and saw a couple of my hobbles and immediately restarted his "I'm advocating a cast" chorus. When I went to my pre-surgery appointment with my doctor, I had been asked by Mike to tell him that Mike (in his infinite wisdom) thinks that I should be immediately put into a cast. No passing Go, no $200, straight into a cast. My doctor, kind of nodded and changed the subject.

So, today, I have been trying to be good, to prove to Mike that his advocacy of a cast is unnecessary. I have been using my crutches, sitting down as much as possible, and generally following the doctor's orders.

We had Mike's cousin and his wife over for dinner last night (and I managed not to freak out about the state of our house. I did some light tidying and left it at that. I was very proud), and then Mike and his cousin stayed up way too late playing X-box. This morning, the kitchen was a complete shambles. There were dishes everywhere. The blender was sitting on the counter, the desserts were still out, the dishwasher was full of clean dishes and both sinks were full of dirty ones. Breakfast and lunch for 3 didn't make it any better.

We put Emily down for a nap (well, Mike did, since I can't carry Emily and use the crutches at the same time) after lunch. I headed out to the living room to sit in my chair and read. (I finished the 7 library books earlier this week and have been slowly working my way through Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. I wasn't reading all the time, so it took me 4 days for 307 pages. Which is a very looong time for me.) Anyways. Mike came out from putting Emily to bed and was working out the logistics of his to-do list.

On it are/were:

• clean the kitchen,
  
• finish cleaning the chimney (it is cleaned from the roof down to the stove, he just had to clean the last of the pipe and empty the ashes, etc),
  
• laundry,
  
• bring in firewood (somewhat related to the chimney - it's not warm here today)

He was trying to figure out what to do first and how to get all this stuff done. And, all the while, I'm sitting in my chair, reading my book, waiting for the inevitable request. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't going to suggest it myself.

And, then he said it.

"Sweetie, I hate to ask you to do this, but I really need help. Would you please clean the kitchen for me?"

Sure.

And lemme tell you, I cleaned the heck outta that kitchen. The counters are wiped, the stove is clean, the blender is put away, the pies are in the fridge, I washed all of the high chair trays, the dishwasher was emptied, reloaded and is now running. I really should have taken before and after pictures. The difference is that remarkable.

The point of this whole post is that I know that Mike hates doing all this domestic stuff, I know it sucks because I can't help him (and frankly, I want to do the cooking and the laundry and the cleaning - it has started feeling like my job to do that stuff. I kinda miss it.). He is doing a fantastic job of not complaining (much) when he gets home from work and is faced with a mountain of stuff he has to do before he can sit down and relax.

So, thanks, sweetie. I appreciate it! Here is my nomination for you as Husband of the Year. I love you!

Rough day

Poor Emily is having a rough day today.

So far, she has accidentally pinched her finger in a VTech book (the book had hard plastic pages, which trapped one of her fingertips while she held the book closed with the other hand), tripped on some dollies and bit her lip and fell off a chair and bonked her head on the floor. Poor kidlet.

With that last one, I looked up and realized Emily was taller than she was supposed to be. Yeah, that's because she was standing on an antique rocking chair. I told her to get down off the chair and instead, she fell.

Honestly, this kid is going to give me an ulcer. She loves to climb. She uses everything as a step. Yesterday, she was trying to climb on this toy. And Mike isn't helping - he has taught her how to use a little kiddy chair as a step to get up in our big chair.

Now without drugs!

I am doing ok after the surgery. I stopped taking the pain medication Saturday night. My foot is still sore, but not so sore that I can't gut through it without the help of narcotics.

I have been away from my computer for a couple of days, so I wasn't able to post.

And, of course, now I can't think of anything to write.

Except, that since the surgery, I have been using my backpack to help me carry stuff around the house. I haven't dragged this particular bag out from under my bed in a while, probably since I went on a long trip. It is one of the deluxe backpacks from L.L.Bean, like this. I hadn't put anything in the front pockets, and hadn't opened them in a while.

Apparently, the last time I used the bag, it was ... um, that time of the month. Or, I was afraid it was coming. In the larger front pocket, there were two maxi pads, 1 partial pack of gum, 1 full pack of gum, an unopened deck of cards and a small travel package of q-tips. In the smaller front pocket, there were several tampons, another maxi pad and an unsharpened pencil. Oookay.

ow ow ow OW!

I made it through the surgery. I reported, as requested, at 12 noon to the surgery center (which? beautiful!! I would totally go back there. The place was gorgeous, and the staff was friendly and efficient). They brought me back to start prepping me for surgery no more than 2 minutes after I signed in.

They got me doped up with some Fetanyl (good stuff, man!) and started a nerve block on my foot. That was very weird. The anesthesiologist used ultrasound to find the nerve and then stimulated it to make sure he had the right one. My foot was twitching as he stimulated it, and it felt very strange - kind of like lightning zinging down my foot. As the nerve block took effect, I had a major case of pins and needles in my foot and ankle. Whenever someone would touch my foot I would feel a bunch of pins and needles where they were touching. My doctor drew an X on my foot and it felt kind of like he was using a magnet to drag pins across my foot in the shape of an X. Very strange.

I went into surgery and the last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist telling me he was going to give me a drug to make me (more) sleepy. And then my elbow started aching really badly. I said that my elbow was hurting and the anesthesiologist said "Yeah, that's probably from me." And I said, "Thanks for that". And then I was in the recovery room and someone was putting a nice warm towel around my head.

They loaded me into the car to head home at 3:20. We got home about 4 pm and Mike went outside to mow the lawn real quick after getting me set up on the couch. I alternately read and dozed for the rest of the evening. I tried to watch 'House', but just was too dazed to really follow the plot.

The nerve block wore off overnight. I woke up about 1 am and was able to wiggle my toes, which really HURT! I fell back to sleep and woke up around 4 am with lots of PAIN!!!!! Just like that - capitalized and with lots of exclamation points. I made Mike get me some pain meds and tried to go back to sleep. It didn't really work, I was aware of the hurt for the rest of the night.

My dad came over this morning around 7:30 and Mike headed off to work. I have been on the couch all day, pretty much sleeping and reading. I couldn't keep my eyes open and so I stopped trying. I kept needing to wake up every 30 minutes to either put the ice pack on my foot or to take it off.

(Side note: Emily just bit her lip for the first time. We have a fairly firm rule that Emily is not allowed to carry her sippy cup more than arm's reach away from a responsible adult. Mostly the rule is to protect our new carpet from liquids, but it is also a safety thing. She was leaning away from me, trying to escape the hold I had on her overalls when she lost her balance and fell, with the sippy cup in her mouth. Of course, I couldn't get to her very well, because I am tied to the couch. It looks like she cut the corner of her mouth with either one of her teeth or a part of the cup, I'm not sure which. Poor kiddo, those cuts sting!)

I finally woke up around 4 and felt not as tired, so I started reading again. My foot is very sore, and even more so now since I accidentally bumped it with my other foot while adjusting positions. I have great aim, because I think I hit it right over the incision. Smooth, huh?

Will write more when I have more interesting news to report.

T minus 3.5 hours

Today is the day I am scheduled to have the surgery on my foot. We are supposed to report to the surgery center at 12 noon. We'll drop Emily off at my parent's house on the way.

I think I am as ready as I can be. I went to the bookstore yesterday and bought 6 books. I went to the library and borrowed 7 books and 2 DVDs. I got my prescriptions filled (Darvocet N-100 for pain and promethazine for nausea). The laundry is pretty much done, it just needs to be folded, which I can do while sitting on the couch.

I am sure I am forgetting to do something, but I have no idea what it is.

I will put something up about the surgery later this week.

I've got a bad feeling about this...

Today seems to be one of those days. Why, you ask? Let me tell you.

1. It's raining.
2. The flashing around our chimney seems to be leaking, even after Mike put 1/2 gallon of sealant on it.
3. Mike scratched his back with a nail while in the garage attic looking at said leak.
   
4. I had a sinkful of dishes waiting for me this morning when I got up.
5. And 4 loads of laundry waiting to be folded.
   
6. Emily had a pediatrician appointment to recheck her urine after the UTI that wasn't.
   
7. It's raining.
8. Domino scared the crap out of Emily when he freaked out after a truck with a tarp flapping in the wind went by.
   
9. I have 4 days until my surgery and a week's worth of stuff to get done.
   
10. I have to work tonight, tomorrow night and probably Monday night.
    
11. When I picked Emily up this morning I discovered that her diaper leaked overnight. I discovered that by realizing that my left side was suddenly... wet. And warm. Yuck.
12. Emily missed her nap this morning while at the pediatrician's office.
13. Domino is spending a little time in his crate - he keeps barking to be let out and then 2 minutes later wants to come back in because it's raining. Every time he comes back inside I have to wipe his feet. I have enough stuff to do today...
    
14. My kitchen smelled strangely of B.O. I thought it was me, then I was accusing Mike. I think actually it was the garbage.
    
15. The garbage cans never got brought in yesterday.
16. It's still raining. It's rained so much overnight that our creek has flooded. Again.
    

On the positive side:

• Mike didn't rip his shirt, just his skin.
• The pediatrician waved our copay for our visit today.
• Emily did sleep for a little while before lunch.
  
• I think she's going to fall asleep soon for her afternoon nap. Woo-hoo!
  

Opportunities...

I was at work last week when my manager came into the pharmacy. I was standing at one of the computers, working on entering a ginormous pile of prescriptions.

"You know how to use the computers?" he said to me. Sharp as a tack, this one is.

"Yes", I replied, somewhat warily. Untrusting of the manager, I am. (Why do those two sentences sound like I am talking like Yoda? My intention, that is not.)

Anyways, he asked me if I was interested in becoming a pharmacy technician. I told him, yes, but only if the store would pay for it. He told me that it would be reimbursed, providing I pass the test. I told him I was intrigued by the idea, but it would probably have to wait a while. I don't want to start another full-time job, Emily is only 13 months old and I am not done having babies.

We kind of left it there, mainly because we were having other problems in the pharmacy.

I really want to make more money than I am currently, but I want to have my cake and eat it, too. I don't want to work full-time and I really would prefer to work from home and not have to leave Emily at all.

I have a mini-interview for another position (which will remain undescribed for now) at some point today, which would allow me to have both the cake and the eating of the cake. By that I mean, that I would be able to work from home, on my own, about 10-40 hours per week.

Last night, while at work, my manager re-iterated the offer - he wants me to think about becoming a pharmacy tech while I am out recuperating. He says he thinks I have the skills and the potential to do well as a tech. (Which, as an aside - flattery will get you everywhere with me. Tell me you think I'm wonderful and even if I don't like you, I'll be so flattered that you think so, I'm pretty much putty in your hands.) I don't know. I talked with the pharmacist later and she was saying that she'd be OK with me continuing to work as a tech, with my current hours (nights and weekends). I guess when I go back after the surgery, I'll have to sit down with my manager and ask my questions and try to nail him down to more solid answers.

While I write this, I am watching some high-quality television. Live with Regis and Kelly. Short of watching Jerry Springer, I don't think TV gets much better than this. (Please read the prior sentences with a high level of sarcasm). Actually, I kind of like Regis and Kelly, but haven't been watching them much lately. But, I happened to notice on the BNL blog that Steve's most recent entry mentioned an appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly today. Woo-hoo!! BNL is probably my most favoritest band ever. Ever. EVER!! I have been a fan since 1991, which is only 2 years after they formed the band. They have a new album out, so they are appearing on Live to promote it. I asked my sister to get me their new album for my birthday, but she only asked me what I wanted on 9/6, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be late.

Shawn Edward Bowman 1972 - 2001

Today is my birthday, but I won't be talking about how I'm turning 30 today.

Today is a day to remember and to reflect on the lives lost on September 11, 2001. 2,996 people died that day.

I volunteered to be a part of the 2,996 bloggers honoring the victims of September 11, 2001.

I am honoring Shawn Edward Bowman, Jr. He was 28 years old on 9/11/01. He was just 8 days away from his 29th birthday. As I write this, I am older than Shawn got to be.



Shawn was born and raised on Staten Island. He married his wife, Jennifer in April 1999. He worked for Cantor Fitzgerald as a Human Resources Information Specialist.

Shawn and Jen had a son, Liam, who was 15 months old when Shawn died. His wife gave birth to their second son, Jack Shawn in January 2002.



While researching this post, I was struck by the comments about what a dedicated husband and father Shawn was.

This wonderful man doesn't get to see how his boys are turning out. He doesn't get to grow old with his wife. He doesn't get to see his brother have children. This is why we must never forget the people who were killed in the 9/11 attacks.

To see the other blogs that are participating in this memorial, click here.

Updated 9-11-06 at 2:21 pm:

I will be leaving this post up for most of this week to honor Shawn in the best way I can. And, I will be using my usual blog writing time to go through the 3,411 tributes to the victims. Over 3400 people have taken the time to get to know one of the victims of September 11. Several victims have more than one person paying tribute to them, as they began going through the list a second time, once all the names had been given out. Please, take the time to visit some of these other blogs. Leave a comment, let the bloggers know that their tribute is appreciated.

Nearly free

Tonight is the last night in my four-night, working all the time marathon that was my indentured servitude imposed by my manager. By working 12 hours last week and 20 hours this week, I "get" to have surgery the week after next, and "get" to have 4-6 weeks off from work. I cannot wait.

Our pharmacy's prescription volume has increased dramatically in the past few weeks. And then, we got new cash registers. And we all had to relearn how to ring stuff out. And then, if that weren't enough and we weren't stressed out by the increased workload and the new technology, we got new computers that we use to process the prescriptions. (And the even more sucky part than all of the above is that our pharmacy was just bought by a chain and so all that stuff is going to change. AGAIN.)

The additional workload, on top of the new computers turned both our normally unflappable pharmacists into quivering masses of stress and tears and has one of the pharmacy techs out on an emergency stress leave.

I came home from work Tuesday night, so upset and stressed that I was shaking. I yelled at Mike for no apparent reason, twice. And I talked about quitting. I don't think that is going to happen, mainly because I have at least a 4 week "vacation" coming, but I am still not really enjoying my job right now. And not just because I haven't been at home all evening (during the week) since 8/23.

I got my schedule last night for next week (after my manager told me he 'cut' my hours back - at my request). I am working Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Yeah, he isn't making me work 4 nights, just 3.

I guess the good news is that I'll be contributing a little more to the checkbook this month...

Picture

I uploaded this picture to add to my profile, and then thought I would make it into a legitimate post - I love this picture. My mom took this picture on Emily's birthday, probably pretty close to the exact time of her birth: 5:17 pm.

DOH!

I was supposed to be doing my day in the life yesterday. Crap. I totally forgot. I'm working on it today, will post it tomorrow.

Updated

I was working on my day in the life and accidentally deleted it. DOH!!! It's gone, all gone. So, I am going to abstain from the Day in the Life meme for this month. Will be back in October.

Somethings aren't as they seem

The pediatrician called this morning and it turns out Emily doesn't have a UTI. She said the sample they took from Emily (under great duress) did not grow anything when they cultured it.

But, strangely, she is improving. She doesn't have a fever any more (YAY!) and she is acting more like her normal self, but with raging diarrhea. (Seriously, the poop? It's worse than when she was taking Reglan and exclusively breastfeeding. Liquid. It's awesome.)

The doc said we should continue the antibiotics (because, you NEVER stop antibiotics once you start them. Ever.) and come see her when she's done with them.

Sick, Sick, Sick

Emily got sick while we were in Michigan.

After a trip to the emergency room, we discovered that her 104+ degree fever was caused by a Urinary Tract Infection.

I spent Sunday night cradling my feverish baby in a La-Z-Boy recliner, trying to sleep in between bouts of fever-induced worrying.

She got a couple of shots of antibiotic at the hospital and a prescription for Bactrim. I got instructions to give her Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours for the first 24 hours and to 'push fluids'.

We were supposed to have left Michigan to head home early Monday morning. Instead, we left at 2:30 pm. We usually drive through Canada, but because of the insane traffic predicted for the holiday weekend, we went through Ohio and Pennsylvania instead. It added an hour and a half to the trip, but it was better than sitting at the border crossing for 2 hours. We got home about 10:30 pm last night.

I have spent all morning running around the house, trying to get out from behind the eight ball. So far, it hasn't worked. I still feel like I have a mountain of stuff to get done, and no motivation to do any of it. That might be due in part to my recent lack of sleep. I think I am going to go peek at the baby (who is supposed to be napping) and then lie down for a snooze.