We Went to the Zoo

With all of the turmoil surrounding my nephew last week, I forgot to write about our trip to the zoo. We went on Saturday, March 18. Jason, Dylan, myself, FIL and FIL's girlfriend went. SIL, BIL, and nephew were supposed to go too, but that was the day nephew was admitted to the hospital. (BTW, SIL told us to go on to the zoo because it would be hours before we could see her or nephew - for those of you who might think we were heartless to continue on to the zoo with nephew in the hospital).

Dylan had a blast and I think we saw every animal that lives at the zoo. Here are a couple of pics from our trip.
















Dylan @ the petting zoo
















Dylan studying about the pandas















Dylan and a big lizard















Dylan and Poppy (Jason's dad)















Dylan and Gigi (Poppy's girlfriend)


Dylan loved the otters and pandas the best. The lions weren't very exciting because they were asleep. The gorillas weren't very active either; though they did have a couple of babies that were entertaining. He had a blast at the petting zoo. It amazes me sometimes how much my shy little guy is coming out of his shell. He wasn't thrilled with the snakes (or anything else in the reptile house). He rode the train (all 3 minutes of it) and he rode on the endangered species carousel. All in all, Dylan had a blast and we will definitely be going back. I am sure he will love showing his cousin around.

Update on Nephew

He is going home today. He was diagnosed with RSV (apparently it was something different last time he was in the hospital and MIL got mixed up when she passed the information on to me), in addition to several other respiratory conditions (SIL said that there are about 6 or 7 official diagnosises on the discharge papers). But he has been off of oxygen for 24 hours and doing great. The doctor still fully expects to see them back in the hospital in the next couple of months simply due to the compromised state of his lungs at this time.

My nephew (10 mo) is sick

Saturday he was taken in a helicopter to the hospital because he wasn't stable enough for an ambulance ride. His breathing was labored and he was becoming lethargic. He spent Saturday and most of Sunday in the ICU and has been in a regular room since Sunday night (but every time they take him off of oxygen, his oxygen levels drop). He has (in the past month or so) been diagnosed with RSV and was diagnosed with croup upon admission to the hospital. Now, the doctors are 98% sure he has Achalasia of the Esophagus and Bronchial Tubes and this is why he is so susceptible to all of the respiratory problems. He should outgrow this by 14-18 months, but the doctor said he fully expects at least one more hospital stay in that time.

So, any P&PT would be appreciated and if you know anything about this diagnosis, I would love to hear about it.

What I Need/Want To Do Tomorrow (On My Day Off)

• grocery shopping
• sign Dylan up for swimming lessons (and then I may have to take on the agonizing task of finding a new suit - I'm thinking boycut this year - LOL!!)
• laundry
• put away the 6 or 7 baskets of already clean, folded laundry
• put clean sheets on the futon (guest bed)
• declutter as much as possible
• get my hair thinned (and maybe trimmed)

Jason's dad and girlfriend are coming to visit this weekend. And, you know, nothing gets your house cleaned and straightened like guests.

I really am looking forward to my day tomorrow, even though it is going to be quite busy. This is the first time in I-don't-know-how-long that I am taking a day off without having to take care of a sick kid/hubby/self.

Saturday, we (Me, Jason, Dylan, FIL, FIL's GF, SIL, BIL, DN) are going to the zoo. Dylan is so excited. I am taking my camera, so I hope to have pictures to share next week. Have a good weekend.

You are Meredith Grey. You relate easily to people,

though you have a hard time letting people

in, and though are a an amazing person, you

have a hard time seeing that yourself


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Interesting . . .

American Cities That Best Fit You:

80% Austin

75% Atlanta

70% Miami

65% Denver

65% Las Vegas

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

Well, it's good to know that I live somewhere that "fits" me. Very interesting.

What I (We) Did This Weekend

• Touched up the ceiling and door frames in the guest bathroom (we painted it about a year ago, I never finished the ceiling)
• Touched up the ceiling and door frames in the office (same time frame as the guest bath)
• Hung curtains in Dylan's room
• Hung a stuffed animal cage in Dylan's room
• Hung curtains in the dining room
• Hung curtains in the family room
• Framed some photos
• Copied some photos
• Tried to hand above photos, but the screws supplied with the frames wouldn't work
• Weeded front flower beds
• Weeded one of the rear flower beds (This one bed probably took me an hour and a half. It was bad.)
• Dylan dug in his sandbox (and in the flower beds a little) and played on his slide (He played outside for over 3 hours yesterday, it is probably the longest stretch of independant play he has ever had. Of course, we were outside with him at all times. But he did his thing and we did ours.)
• Jason (and Dylan) went to SC to pick up a jet ski for FIL's girlfriend
• Jason pressure washed the entire house (or at least as far up as he could reach using our ladder).
• Jason cleaned up Dylan's pool (Yes, it was still up from last summer and was quite nasty. We just never got around to putting it away and were debating whether or not we should just toss it.)
• Jason painted some of the trim around the house
• Jason painted the mailbox and the mailbox post

All in all, a very busy and productive weekend.

Um . . . okay

Nothing Sucks Like A Lisa.

My Anti-Drug is Jason.

Dylan with the Less Fattening Centres.

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50 Things About Me

1. Until I went to college, I had only lived in one house.
2. Since I went to college, I have lived in 2 dorm rooms, 2 apartments, 1 townhouse, and 1 house.
3. My first memory is my mom being pregnant with my little brother and feeling him kick.
4. Other than this memory, I have no recollection of being an only child.
5. My “little” brother is 3 years, 10 months, and 2 weeks younger than me and he is about 6 feet tall.
6. Growing up, I didn’t realize how little money my parents had.
7. Now, I really wonder how the heck they made it.
8. Now that I work and am a mom, I don’t understand how my mom had time to cook dinner every night.
9. I do, however, realize it was a necessity since we couldn’t just go out to pick up dinner (see # 4 and because we lived about 15-20 miles away from the closest fast food joint).
10. I went to a private school K – 3rd grade.
11. My grandmother was the school secretary at the school that I went to in 4th grade.
12. That might be the only reason I was able to survive the transition.
13. I learned how to shoot a gun when I was in 6th or 7th grade.
14. I killed a deer when I was in 7th grade.
15. I don’t think I ever went hunting again. I wasn’t traumatized or anything, I just hated getting up that early in the morning.
16. I still hate getting up early in the morning.
17. I hate surprises.
18. The most angry I have ever been at my dad (disregarding all things divorce related) was when he planned a surprise party for me for my 16th birthday. I didn’t speak to him for days.
19. I had 3 different cars before I graduated from high school: an Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme (burned up in a garage fire), a Dodge Daytona (wrecked), and a Pontiac Le Mans (wrecked, but not until after graduation).
20. I was valedictorian of my graduating class (Class of 1995).
21. I hated high school and almost didn’t walk for graduation.
22. Someone convinced me that if I didn’t walk I would regret it (and I was supposed to give a speech).
23. I now know I wouldn’t have regretted not walking, but I don’t regret walking either. It’s just a non-issue.
24. I said as soon as I graduated that I wouldn’t go to any reunions.
25. I didn’t go to my 10year reunion.
26. I didn’t walk for my college graduations (B.B.A. or M.B.A.).
27. I don’t regret it.
28. If any of my children ever ask me if it’s okay if they don’t walk for any graduation, I will still probably try to convince them to do it.
29. The only friends that I have remained in contact with from middle school, high school, or college are guys or family.
30. When I graduated from college in May 1999 (B.B.A), I swore I would never go back to school.
31. I started my M.B.A. in January 2001, at night while working full-time.
32. I finished my M.B.A. in July 2002.
33. I enjoyed my M.B.A. classes 10x more than my B.B.A. classes.
34. I prefer to have a man as a boss. It’s just an added bonus if he has kids.
35. I hate to be micromanaged.
36. I have a messed-up self-image.
37. Growing up, I was always concerned about my weight. Looking back now, I shouldn’t have worried about it because (with the exception of my fashion choices) I looked pretty good most of the time. As a matter of fact, the times that I thought I was at my best weight, I actually looked like a skeleton (and I still thought it wouldn’t hurt to lose another 10 lbs.).
38. As sad as it is, I used to always wish I had to the will power to be anorexic to lose weight and then be able to stop.
39. I didn’t realize that it doesn’t work that way.
40. I am grateful now that I didn’t go down that road.
41. Since I have graduated from college, I have had 4 jobs.
42. I have never worked less than 1 year or more than 2 years at any of those jobs.
43. I have been at my current job for 2 years as of last week.
44. Because of this (among other things), I am wondering if it is time to look for a new job.
45. I didn’t realize how much I would love my children until Dylan was born.
46. When he was in the hospital after he was born (premature), I would get extremely pissed off when my MIL would freely admit she didn’t want to get attached to him in case something bad happened.
47. I never believed anything bad would happen. I knew he would come home and he would be fine (I just didn’t know when).
48. I worry about the transition from 1 child to 2 children, but I can’t wait to make it.
49. I don’t have an opinion on a lot of issues.
50. This bothers my husband.
    

Catching Up . . .

• Work is crazy.
• Dylan is sick. He has some kind of virus. It has made him pretty miserable and crazy tired. This (Thursday) is his first day back at school. We tried to go to school on Tuesday, but he wasn't quite up to it.
• Work is crazy.
• Daycare just called and Dylan has had diarreha twice in the past hour. He is on augmentin, so that is the reason and he can stay, but I hate getting calls that my baby doesn't feel good. And I hate that the teachers have to clean him up.
• Work is crazy.

But tomorrow is Friday and next week will be better. Right?!?! Right?!?!

Thirteen Things That Make Me Happy My son My husband Thinking about having more kids Fresh flowers in the house Making a list and checking off the things that I finish Reading and relaxing in a warm (almost hot) bubble bath Being relatively financially secure New clothes Clean laundry, folded, and put away (not that I actually do this that often) Organizing just about anything A clean, organized house (not that I actually do this that often, either) Someone else doing my hair The idea that I will be thin again (but maybe not until I am done having kids)

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Enlarged Glands

Not me, Dylan.

Several weeks ago, I mentioned that Dylan had swollen glands and strep throat. Well, 10 days of antibiotics and his glands were still swollen. I gave it another week or so and saw no improvement. So, back to the doctor we go.

DR: Yes, his glands are swollen. No, he doesn’t have strep throat. His tonsils are a little large, but he will probably “grow into them”.

ME: Um, okay.

DR: And, you don’t need to worry about cancer.

ME: Excuse me, CANCER?!?!?!

DR: You don’t need to worry about it. Some parents bring their kids in with swollen glands and are really worried about cancer. So, if you were worrying about it, I wanted you to know you didn’t need to.

ME (laughing, but not really finding it funny): Well, I wasn’t worried, but I probably will now. Thanks!!

So, I am off to do research about pediatric cancer of the glands and throat. Fun, fun.

Thirteen Things From My "Childhood" (Up To and Including College)

1. My earliest memory is my mom being pregnant with my brother. I remember feeling him kick. I was about 3 1/2.
2. I went to a private school K-3rd grade. The transition to public school in 4th grade was hard for me because I went from 10 kids in my entire grade (and class) to 30 kids in my class (and about 300 in my grade).
3. I remember being hurt when I realized my mom paid for my "Aunt" Vera to keep my brother and I. I know she loved/loves us, but for some reason it stung. I was very bratty to her after that realization.
4. I took piano lessons for 5 years (3rd - 8th grades).
5. When I was about 8 or 9, I overheard my dad telling someone that the only reason he was here was because of the kids. I forgot about this until years later and now wonder about the significance of the statement.
6. I started dating at 14 and have only gone very short periods of time without a boyfriend, but have only seriously dated 3 guys (and I married 1 of them).
7. In high school, I sang at Carnegie Hall with my school choir.
8. I was first runner-up in my county's "Junior Miss" contest.
9. I was in 4 musicals in high school (1 per year). My senior year I was the female lead.
10. I was the valedictorian of my graduating class.
11. In college, I drank like a fish. Now, I can't drink at all without breaking out into hives.
12. I tried to smoke in college (see #11). I wasn't very good at it and I hate to practice anything, so I didn't try again.
13. I pretty much quick drinking once I turned 21. I guess the thrill was gone.

This is so cool . . .

http://www.snapshirts.com/custom.php

Potty Training Update

Well, we decided to give potty training a serious go on Sunday. Dylan is showing lots of signs that he is ready, but I just don't think he is quite there yet.

10:00 AM - Put underwear on and asked if he needed to go potty. Negative

10:32 AM - Peed under the chair

10:34 AM - Put different underwear on

11:00 AM - Peed on potty

12:30 PM - Changed into pull-up for nap after going potty again.

3:00 PM - Woke up dry from nap and went potty. Put on underwear again.

4:00 PM - Peed next to loveseat after saying he didn't need to go potty.

4:05 PM - Put on different underwear

4:30 PM - Pooped in underwear (and tried to deny it)

4:32 PM - Put pull-up back on for the remainder of the day.

So, tally is - 2 pee accidents, 1 poop accident, and 2 pees on the potty.

Lesson is: He knows what to do, he just can't be bothered right now.

Plan of action: Try again in a couple of weeks.

One More Month

I just got back from my annual OB/GYN appt. I feel like I have seen these guys way too much lately.

Anyway, the doctor suggested that we wait one more month to start TTC again. His reasoning is that it took a little longer than he expected for my beta-HCG levels to drop to negative, so he wants to give my body a little more "time" at normal before we get pg again.

I'm okay with that. I really want everything to be just right, no chances for second guessing whether my body was ready or not.

Least Common Denominator

Do you remember way back in school when you learned about fractions and breaking those things down to the least common denominator? Well, I have been reminded of that phrase a lot lately, but in a different context.

Here at work, we have a lot of people who probably shouldn't be in the positions they are in or at least they shouldn't be responsible for the things that they are responsible for. I have been working for the past several weeks writing and re-writing financial reports. Most people with any sort of financial background (hell, with any sort of exposure to financial reports in their past lives) would be able to understand what is printed on the pages of the financial reports. But, not here. No, we have to take the financial reports and regroup and restate them 3 or 4 different ways. This, my friends, is why the phrase least common denominator has been bouncing around in my brain. We have taken the information, broken it down to it's simplest form, and then had to write a narrative explaining the information.

Not only are we presenting the information in the simplest way possible, we are doing in 3 or 4 different ways because so-and-so likes to read it and so-and-so likes to see it grouped this way and so-and-so likes the traditional presentation. God forbid these people actually take the information and manipulate the structure themselves. UGH!! I don't know how much longer I can take this!!

La La Land

Okay, so somewhere out there in La La Land, my last post has disappeared. This is really just a test post to see if comments work.

BTW - Thanks, Allison. I was wondering why the hell no one was commenting.

MeMe

RELATIONSHIP STATUS...
[single or taken] Taken.
[Shoe size] 6 ½ or 7
[Parents still together] My parents divorced about 6 years ago
[Siblings] 1 younger brother
[Pets] Yes, 1 dog (Boston Terrier)

FAVOURITES...
[Colors] green
[Number] 14
[Animal] I don’t have a favorite animal
[Drink] Coke
[Book] I don’t really have a favorite book
[Flower] Wildflowers

DO YOU...
[Color your hair?] No
[Twirl your hair?] Nol
[Have tattoos?] No
[Have Piercings?] Just my ears
[Cheat on tests/homework?] In the past, yes – if I knew I could get away with it. Recently, no
[Like roller coasters?] yes
[Wish you could live somewhere else?] Not really
[Like cleaning?] Um, no.
[Write in cursive or print?] Print, usually
[Own a cell phone?] Yes
[Ever get off the damn computer] Yes, I am not on much when I am at home.

HAVE YOU EVER...
[Been in a fist fight?] No
[Considered a life of crime?] Yes, but the fear of getting caught always stopped me
[Considered being a hooker?] No
[Lied to someone?] Yes
[Been in love?] Yes
[Made out with JUST a friend?] No
[Been in lust?] Yes
[Used someone] I'd like to think I haven't, but I probably have
[Been used?] I'd like to think I haven't, but I probably have
[Kicked someone in the nuts?] Yes, and it was on purpose
[Stolen anything?] Yes
[Held a gun] Yes

CURRENTS...
[Current clothing] Jeans n' a l/s t-shirt
[Current mood] Overwhelmed
[Current taste] ??
[What you currently smell like] My deodorant
[Current hair] Short and flippy out
[Thing I ought to be doing] Writing financial reports, verifying financial info, etc, etc, etc
[Current cd in stereo] None
[Last book you read] The Lovely Bones
[Last movie you saw] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
[Last thing you ate] Shrimp and scallops with mashed potatoes
[Last person you talked to on the phone] Jason

DO YOU...
[Believe there is life on other planets?] No
[Remember your first love?] Yes
[Read the newspaper?] No
[Have any gay or lesbian friends?] Yes
[Believe in miracles?] Yes
[Do well in school?] Yes, I did
[Wear hats] No
[Hate yourself?] No
[Have an obsession?] No
[Collect anything?] Not really
[Have a best friend?] Yes
[Close friends?] Yes
[Like your handwriting?] Sometimes, yes
[Care about looks] Not really

LOVE...
[First crush] Lance
[Do you believe in love at first sight?] Yes
[Do you believe in "the one?"] Yes
[Are you a tease?] Not really
[Too shy to make the first move?] Yes

ARE YOU A...
[Daydreamer] No
[Bitch/Asshole] I can be
[Sarcastic] I can be
[Shy] Sometimes
[Talkative] Sometimes

And again . . .

Everyone at my home is recovering well.

However, we got a call last night from MIL. She told us that our nephew (9 mo) had been admitted to Scottish Rite with pneumonia. This just isn't our week.