It is summertime!  The kids are out of school, and we are enjoying our days at home.  Shane is always up early, between 7 and 8am...and playing with his cars or watching transformers on youtube.  Kirsten usually crawls out of bed between 9-10am, and happily joins Shane in whatever he is doing.  Miss Heidi, well, she is a teenager now, and we seldom see her before noon, and then she really isn't in a good mood until 1pm!  LOL.  I remember those days a couple decades ago! 

Leigh is working hard at Coke.  They are changing the routes around and so he had new stores, and different areas he is delivering to.  It makes it pretty stressful for him.  So, he comes home from work even more exhausted than normal!

We got a metal framed pool for the kids.  We set it up on Monday, and the kids were in it while it was filling up!  Crazy!  The well water is COLD!  They have been in it every day since, rain or shine, warm or cold.  They don't care.  Today it is supposed to warm up nicely, so maybe I'll join them this afternoon.

I am 12 weeks preggo now.  This week I have had a little bit more energy than before.  I still tire easily, and get short of breath.  My body is increasing the blood supply and all that new hemoglobin wants oxygen!  It annoys me!  I still fight nausea, although it is improving.  I'm focusing on eating fresh fruits and veggies, and healthy protein.  It really seems to help stabilize my blood sugar and ward off the nausea.  I don't have diabetes, or blood sugar issues, but I have read that the more consistent you can keep your blood sugar the better it is for morning sickness.  I'm looking forward to going back to see the midwife in a couple weeks.  Can't wait to hear the heartbeat and find out how things are going.  I know it is "too early", but I have felt some strange sensations a few times, and I think it is feeling the baby move!  That sure is what it reminds me of!  I get all excited when it happens!

Excitement!!

Well, the past couple months have been hard....'cause I've been wantin' to spill the beans!  We discovered that we are expecting another little baby!  Oh, we are so excited.  Heidi and Kirsten both cried with joy when we told them.  Shane is so excited because "he always wanted to be a big brother!"  So we are due in December 2012.  We can hardly believe our blessed we are!

So, I've been feeling pretty exhausted.  Some nausea, a little vomiting, but mostly just like I want to sleep all day long!  I felt this way when I was expecting Shane, too, and it passed eventually.  So, I am just enduring it for now.

So... we'll keep you posted as things go along!

Karma

So, I am inclined to believe that karma has come to bite me for some reason. This week I got pneumonia. How? I have no idea, but it hit me like a ton of bricks! I then become dehydrated, and earned myself a hospital stay. Now, my fluids are built back up and I am feeling much better! Still have pneumonia, but atleast I am hydrated! So, I am in the hospital overnight, hoping to be discharged tomorrow. So... hopefully Karma is done with me now! I am ready to be back to my life already!!

Springy Spirits!

Well, not sure if Spring has sprung or if this is just a teaser before winter comes back for one last hurrah. Hey, either way... I'll take it. Temps in the 70s and the kids outside loving it! Makes me want to clean out the house, and do some landscaping! LOVE IT!!

I am recovering well. Incisions have healed nicely. I still have to wear this ugly walking boot. Shhh... I cheat. I don't ALWAYS wear it. But, I do always wear it when I am going outside. Uneven ground is very difficult, as are stairs. So...2 more weeks of this loverly thing, and then I get to wear normal shoes again! I am anxious to get out walking again, and dare I say, starting to run again? I am feeling like a slug these days. Also, can't wait to get back to work. That's my life...my kids and work. end of subject.

Surgery

Since I know there are some of you who blog but don't facebook, I thought I would write a bit here to keep you updated on my surgery saga.

Monday, Feb 20th, I went in for outpatient surgery to correct my left ankle. I originally twisted it about 15 years ago, when Leigh and I were dating. I have had issues with it ever since, and more recently, the issues have become more frequent. Something would "slip" in my ankle and it would immediately become immobile, painful, and swollen. This would last from a couple hours to 3 weeks. There was no rhyme or reason for why it would slip in or out. Well, I finally got in to see a very smart surgeon on January. She couldn't not really tell what it was because the MRIs were so pathetic, but she said there was definetly something going on.

So, she did arthroscopy and removed a piece of cartiladge the size of a fingernail, that had been 'floating' in and out of the joint at whim. Where it came from, I have no idea. There was also some excess synovial fluid and damage with in the joint capsule that she fixed up. Finally, she did an open incision to repair some ligaments that were also torn.

So, I am recovering at home. I did not think it would be as painful as it has been. They did a popliteal nerve block that wore off about 24 hours later. The pain skyrocketted in that 18-30 hr post op range. I started taking the norco which was prescribed for pain. I know it helped the pain, but it also made me woozy, nauseus and light headed. Not a good combination when you are trying to manage crutches to get to the bathroom. So, today is my first day without taking the norco. I am still resting alot, but not sleeping the day away like I did Tues-Thurs. I have eaten more today, which is better since I was getting pretty weak. The pain is constant, and I am taking 1000 mg of Tylenol every 4 hours, which is keeping it bearable. Hopefully every day is an improvement.

So, the long range plan. This Tuesday I go to the dr for a dressing change, and to get a look at what scars I'm gonna have. A plaster splint will be reapplied. A week with that one, and then I am supposed to get a 'walking' boot. I will not be allowed to walk on it for a total of 3 weeks. Then, I will start walking on it slowly, as it allows me. Physical Therapy is to start at the 6 week mark, as is going back to work.

I am so missing work! I miss my co workers... I miss getting out of the house and doing my thing! I miss the patients. So... I hope this recovery goes faster than anticipated so I can get back to work, soon!!!

February 2012

So, this one a month thing is kinda funny. For some reason, I am just not very good about thinking about blogging! I love to read other people's blogs who update frequently!

This sure has been a mild winter. We have had snow, but not much at any one time, and then it melts quickly. The kids haven't gotten in my sledriding/snowboarding.

Actually, by the time the kids get off the bus, they are usually too tired to do much playing. They usually hang out reading books or watching a movie or something. So, fun time is usually Saturdays. They are all doing well in school. Crazy kids and their brains. They are all smarter than their parents. Seriously, I am not just saying that because Heidi is on the brink of teenagedom and really thinks that sometimes!

I am enjoying my schooling. I am attending Phoenix online. The first class I took was more like a 3 week orientation to online schooling. I thought is needed to be about 2 days. It was more than excessive in my humble opinion. This class is a bit more intriguing. I have gotten to play around with designing powerpoint presentations and working with a team on projects. Our discussion in the forum have been dynamic and at times enlightening. I got to study the lives of 2 nurses, Clara Barton and Sharon Ann Lane. They were both 'war' nurses. Sharon was in the Vietnam War, and it was interesting to me. My dad was a medic in Vietnam and was there during the same time she was. Anyway, learning about their drive and dedication to nursing and helping wounded soldiers is inspiring. I only have 2 weeks left of this class, so it is winding down. Wonder what the next one will be like?

Next Monday is D day for me... I am going to have surgery on my ankle. I have had problems with it for over 15 years. I guess it is time to get it taken care of. I am not really anxious about surgery. But I AM anxious about recovery. The doctor is scoping it first to figure out what the issues are, and then she will be cutting in and fixing all the problems. It sounds like there are several issues to be dealt with. So, I really don't know what surgery will be, or what the recovery will be. I am hoping it is a quick and easy fix! HA! So, you'll have to been thinking about my poor family as they put up with me and my grouchiness for the next month or so! I do not deal well with this type of thing. I like to be on the move and getting things done! Not sitting around resting!

I miss my peeps at work! I haven't been able to work for over a month. Walking through the grocery store causes pain, that brings me to tears. So... working for an 4-8 hr shift is simply unthinkable. So... I am missing everyone! We have such a good time picking on each other! And from what I hear, there has been some staff turnover, too. So, there will be new faces to meet when I get back there!

Hope all is well with you guys!

January 2012

Whoa, wait a minute. How did 2012 get here so fast? And, while we are on the subject, where did 2011 go??

We had a very busy holiday season with lots of visitors and travels to see family! We made very special memories!

And now January. What will the new year bring. For me, it brought college. Yep, I am back in school. This time it is all online as I pursue my BSN and subsequently my MSN in Nursing. I am very excited at what oppurtunities I can appreciate in 3 short years. I am loving it so far. I love to learn new things, and meet new people.

The kids are back to school. Shane has been trying to convince his 1st grade teacher that he needs more challenging work. He keeps telling us that he is bored. Last week he crumpled his spelling list into a tiny ball. Leigh found him smoothing it all out with his hands. When asked what he was doing, he said with such disgust in his voice, "these words are only 3-4 letters each!!!" It made hime made enough he had balled the whole paper up!! crazy kid. Finally, this week she sent home a short "chapter" book for him to read, saying he should read 1-2 chapters a night, and hand it in on Friday. Well, crazy kid had it completely read before supper the first night. so, now he is digusted that she won't send a new chapter book home every night. He devours everything he can read.

Miss Kirsten is enjoying 4th grade. She has an awesome teacher. Mr. E gave glowing report of her at the last PT conference that we had. She is enjoying playing the clarinet and piano lessons. She is little miss socialite and spends a good part of her evenings chatting on the phone with her friends. Most weekends she has an invitation to spend it at one of her friends houses. She doesn't always get to go, which causes some highly emotional breakdowns! Being on the brink of puberty is not easy!!

Miss Heidi. oh yes. teenagedom is looming. Momma is not ready. Somedays she is so wonderfully helpful and mature. And then there are the other days. I doubt I need to say anything more than that. Most evenings she is in her room, and we hear the distant music of her practicing her flute. She is doing well, and hoping to be able to try the piccolo next year. She continues to do well in school. Where oh where did my children get their brains? It surely must have skipped a generation, 'cause their parents don't have them!

Speaking of their parents.... we keep plodding along. Leigh is working ridiculous hours for coke, and comes home exhausted. Once he sits in his lazyboy...it's all over for the day. His latest project is preparing some barnboards to put on the walls of our stairwell. They are going to be beautiful! He went and tore them off the barn, brought them home, cleaned them, sealed them, and now he is getting ready to put them on the wall! I can't wait! It is something he wanted to do from the time we moved in!

15 years ago, I badly sprained my ankle. Over the years I have had issues with it at different times. Well, the past 6 months is has gotten increasingly worse. There seems to be a tendon or ligament that slips out of place spontaneously and causes my ankle to become mostly immobile. This makes walking a chore, if I can walk at all. Currently I am not walking on it, and hobbling around on crutches. NOT FUN. I have an MRI schedules for this afternoon and I got to see Ortho next week. Gotta get some answers!

On that note, I have been amazed the last few days at how much my family is able to do around the house! The girls and Leigh are learning to cook! Leigh is seeing things that need done, and doing them without being asked. I honestly thought that trait was not in his DNA. All jokes and sarcasm aside, I appreciate their help beyond words. With my guidance from the couch/lazyboy or wherever I am sitting, they are doing very well. Love my family!!