I spoke too soon. I was about ten feet from the YMCA's front door yesterday when my cell phone rang. It was daycare, giving me a courtesy call to let me know that Alex had had two rounds of diarrhea, and if he had a third, they'd need to send him home.
I told them that I was about to walk into a building that had no cell reception, so if it happened, to call Matt. Because I forgot that Matt was in an all-day meeting, away from his phone.
I remembered it while I was on the elliptical, so when I finished my workout, I called daycare back, just to check in. (The Y is on the same side of town as daycare, so I would've felt pretty dumb going back to the office and then having to drive all the way back out there.) Sure enough, he'd had a third, so I went and got him.
He's home today, too, which is something of a problem: Matt's office is getting ready for a build to go live this weekend and they really need him to work, but I really have to be in the office this morning for an interview for my security clearance. So I'm working this morning, and Matt will go in once I get home. To further complicate matters, I need to get my allergy shot today, Penny's school is having a half-day, and the cat's annual checkup is this afternoon.
Oy. So my current plan, if the interview guy shows up on time, is to leave work as soon as the interview is done at 11:30 and go get my allergy shot, and then pick Penny up from school. Of course, that's shaving the timing pretty close, so it depends on the security interview really ending no later than 11:30. If it runs later than that, I'll have to drag Penny and Alex with me to the allergy office.
As for the cat, I'll call my parents at some point and ask if they can come help out for an hour or so and watch Alex while I take Ziggy to the vet. Penny can either come with me or stay home with my folks; that's up to her, but there's no way I'm hauling 20 pounds of baby on top of 20 pounds of cat. It's just not happening.
And in the meantime, I've got a document to review, two more to check into CM, and timecards to approve.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Back At The Helm
Alex slept all morning for Matt, so naturally he was the No Sleep Baby for me. I tried putting him down for a nap a couple of different times, and both times he was still awake and talking after half an hour, so I ended up getting him up again. He never threw up on us, and by the time dinner rolled around, the fever was gone and he'd recovered much of his appetite.
So we sent him back to school today, and I'm at work. Whoo, I guess.
I'm trying to decide whether today should be a gym day or an allergy day. The original plan was for it to be allergy day. And since I wasn't in the mood to pack anything for my lunch this morning, I have to go out for lunch (or at least go out to get lunch), which also would fit into my schedule better if it was allergy day. But on the other hand, Penny has a half-day at school tomorrow, and if I'm doing that pickup, then it makes more sense for me to haul her along while I get my allergy shot than to drag her with me to the gym.
That, and I missed going to the gym yesterday. I'd meant to go after dinner, and then Matt reminded me that it was Book Club night. Which for some reason, I had set in my mind was next week. Oops. So I guess it's the gym for me today, and I'll have to figure out something to grab for lunch on my way back to the office.
Book Club was fun, though. I hadn't read the book yet (my order got delayed, so it hasn't arrived yet) but listening to the others talk about it increased my desire to read it, so I'm eagerly anticipating its arrival.
So we sent him back to school today, and I'm at work. Whoo, I guess.
I'm trying to decide whether today should be a gym day or an allergy day. The original plan was for it to be allergy day. And since I wasn't in the mood to pack anything for my lunch this morning, I have to go out for lunch (or at least go out to get lunch), which also would fit into my schedule better if it was allergy day. But on the other hand, Penny has a half-day at school tomorrow, and if I'm doing that pickup, then it makes more sense for me to haul her along while I get my allergy shot than to drag her with me to the gym.
That, and I missed going to the gym yesterday. I'd meant to go after dinner, and then Matt reminded me that it was Book Club night. Which for some reason, I had set in my mind was next week. Oops. So I guess it's the gym for me today, and I'll have to figure out something to grab for lunch on my way back to the office.
Book Club was fun, though. I hadn't read the book yet (my order got delayed, so it hasn't arrived yet) but listening to the others talk about it increased my desire to read it, so I'm eagerly anticipating its arrival.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Doctor, Doctor, Gimme the News
I went to my OB/GYN yesterday for my annual physical.
He was VERY complimentary about the weight loss and increased exercise. He said he'd like to see me get below 200, but even if I got to 199 and stalled out, that would be some significant improvements in my health down the road. I appreciated the enthusiasm, and I also appreciate -- more than I can express -- that he was very deftly encouraging me to keep it up without trying to set goals that were so far away that they were more discouraging than inspiring.
He told me to schedule a mammogram -- he usually orders one every other year between 30 and 40, then every year after 40. I got out of it last year by virtue of having a nursing baby; pregnant and nursing moms get to postpone. I think the technical reason for that is that pregnancy and nursing changes make the x-rays difficult to interpret, but I'm glad for the policy because the boob-squashing machine is uncomfortable enough without adding hormone and milk soreness to the equation.
I also complained to him about the sort of extreme PMS depression I've been getting since Alex was weaned. He said it was a possible side effect of the brand of IUD he gave me, though rare (he's only had one other patient complain about it in the last five years), or it might be an actual hormonal shift in my body as the result of aging and/or completion of the pregnancy/nursing stage. Given the timing of things, he can't really be sure which it is, and the only way to find out for sure would be to remove the IUD.
So he had two options for me to try before we pull the IUD and see whether that's the cause. The first is a homeopathic vitamin supplement that's slanted directly at controlling PMS symptoms. It's supposed to have about an 80-85% success rate; the reviews I found for it online back that up. So I'll order a bottle of that and give it a try for a few months. If that doesn't work, he'll write me a prescription for Prozac to take only on those down days. And if that doesn't work, we'll look into pulling the IUD and/or getting into hormone therapy. Everyone think happy thoughts about the vitamins for me, 'kay?
Anyway, I'd barely made it back to the office and was muttering under my breath in anticipation of the 3-hour meeting on my schedule when Alex's daycare called to tell us that he had a low-grade fever and was throwing up all over the place, and could we please come get him?
Matt went and picked him up. As advertised, low-grade fever. Alex didn't actually throw up while Matt had him, but he had zero appetite. Also, diarrhea and he was yanking viciously on his right ear (thank goodness; Alex actually responds to discomfort in his ears, so we can catch ear infections before they spread into his sinus cavity). So Matt took him to the doctor. The pediatrician ran various tests (completely infuriating Alex by taking various samples) and declared that Alex didn't have an ear infection and he didn't have the flu, so it's probably just some random GI virus that we'll have to wait out. Matt got the usual vomiting/diarrhea dehydration prevention lecture, and a prescription for an antibiotic in case Alex is still yanking on his ear once the fever recedes, and a recommendation for an over the counter decongestant if we thought he needed it.
(The good news with the bug is that it seems to be knocking Alex right out; he's slept probably 18 of the last 24 hours. And one of the hours he was awake was because I went into his room after dinner last night and woke him up so he could get some liquids into his system. He was in a pretty good mood -- toddled around happily for a while and watched Penny play bowling on the Wii -- but eventually just wanted to be held, and not long after that, started drifting off again.)
So Matt's home with Alex this morning (I had to come in to work for a software delivery) and I'll go home around 12 or 12:30 and take over so Matt can go to work this afternoon. I called my parents earlier, and one of them will come up to pick Penny up from school. Tomorrow, Matt has an all-day meeting at work that he really shouldn't miss, so I'll be staying home. Which means I need to remember to bring my work computer home with me so I can try to get at least some work done while Alex is napping.
You know, I'd been pondering trying to take a few days off in March or April -- one to do some spring-cleaning, and a couple to just relax. Guess we'll see what this does to my vacation bank.
He was VERY complimentary about the weight loss and increased exercise. He said he'd like to see me get below 200, but even if I got to 199 and stalled out, that would be some significant improvements in my health down the road. I appreciated the enthusiasm, and I also appreciate -- more than I can express -- that he was very deftly encouraging me to keep it up without trying to set goals that were so far away that they were more discouraging than inspiring.
He told me to schedule a mammogram -- he usually orders one every other year between 30 and 40, then every year after 40. I got out of it last year by virtue of having a nursing baby; pregnant and nursing moms get to postpone. I think the technical reason for that is that pregnancy and nursing changes make the x-rays difficult to interpret, but I'm glad for the policy because the boob-squashing machine is uncomfortable enough without adding hormone and milk soreness to the equation.
I also complained to him about the sort of extreme PMS depression I've been getting since Alex was weaned. He said it was a possible side effect of the brand of IUD he gave me, though rare (he's only had one other patient complain about it in the last five years), or it might be an actual hormonal shift in my body as the result of aging and/or completion of the pregnancy/nursing stage. Given the timing of things, he can't really be sure which it is, and the only way to find out for sure would be to remove the IUD.
So he had two options for me to try before we pull the IUD and see whether that's the cause. The first is a homeopathic vitamin supplement that's slanted directly at controlling PMS symptoms. It's supposed to have about an 80-85% success rate; the reviews I found for it online back that up. So I'll order a bottle of that and give it a try for a few months. If that doesn't work, he'll write me a prescription for Prozac to take only on those down days. And if that doesn't work, we'll look into pulling the IUD and/or getting into hormone therapy. Everyone think happy thoughts about the vitamins for me, 'kay?
Anyway, I'd barely made it back to the office and was muttering under my breath in anticipation of the 3-hour meeting on my schedule when Alex's daycare called to tell us that he had a low-grade fever and was throwing up all over the place, and could we please come get him?
Matt went and picked him up. As advertised, low-grade fever. Alex didn't actually throw up while Matt had him, but he had zero appetite. Also, diarrhea and he was yanking viciously on his right ear (thank goodness; Alex actually responds to discomfort in his ears, so we can catch ear infections before they spread into his sinus cavity). So Matt took him to the doctor. The pediatrician ran various tests (completely infuriating Alex by taking various samples) and declared that Alex didn't have an ear infection and he didn't have the flu, so it's probably just some random GI virus that we'll have to wait out. Matt got the usual vomiting/diarrhea dehydration prevention lecture, and a prescription for an antibiotic in case Alex is still yanking on his ear once the fever recedes, and a recommendation for an over the counter decongestant if we thought he needed it.
(The good news with the bug is that it seems to be knocking Alex right out; he's slept probably 18 of the last 24 hours. And one of the hours he was awake was because I went into his room after dinner last night and woke him up so he could get some liquids into his system. He was in a pretty good mood -- toddled around happily for a while and watched Penny play bowling on the Wii -- but eventually just wanted to be held, and not long after that, started drifting off again.)
So Matt's home with Alex this morning (I had to come in to work for a software delivery) and I'll go home around 12 or 12:30 and take over so Matt can go to work this afternoon. I called my parents earlier, and one of them will come up to pick Penny up from school. Tomorrow, Matt has an all-day meeting at work that he really shouldn't miss, so I'll be staying home. Which means I need to remember to bring my work computer home with me so I can try to get at least some work done while Alex is napping.
You know, I'd been pondering trying to take a few days off in March or April -- one to do some spring-cleaning, and a couple to just relax. Guess we'll see what this does to my vacation bank.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Quiet Weekend
It was a nice, calm weekend.
We thought about visiting my folks on Saturday, but Matt reminded me that Dad was on a camping trip, and Mom was out (or at least didn't pick up the phone) when I tried to call.
The de-cluttering project of the weekend was to gather up the assorted boxes of stuff for goodwill that were stashed all over the house and take them down to the thrift store. Except when I got there, they told me about a new federal regulation (new as in, just went into effect last week) that prohibits the re-sale of clothing, toys, and assorted other goods intended for the use of children under age 13. (More precisely, these things can't be resold unless they're first tested for lead buildup, and as 99.9% of secondhand stores aren't equipped/can't afford to do this testing, they're just rejecting the items.) Which seems completely and utterly ridiculous to me -- how many people actually rely on secondhand stores to clothe their kids? And the economy like it is, and now these people are going to be forced to go retail? Absurd. I had four boxes of kids' clothes in my car, most of which was in really good condition (some of the baby clothes were brand new or only worn once, even). Plus a boppy gym, a baby bath tub, and a brand new toy stroller.
It's enough to make me weep. Guess I'll be getting back on the Freecycle list; there's nothing in the law that prohibits giving stuff away. In the meantime, I stashed all the boxes and junk in our storage unit just so they weren't still cluttering up the house.
We went out for Mexican Saturday evening, and that worked out really well -- Alex was happy to sit in the high chair and eat french fries, and Penny actually ate her chicken nuggets before starting in on the fries, and my fajitas were awesome, even if I had no idea how to add it up for the diet.
Sunday we slugged around the house and ran a few errands. Matt spent half the day trying to convince the TiVO that it really did want to play nicely with his iTunes-purchased music. I took Penny to Target with me to pick up some pajamas for Alex, and while we were there I just happened to swing by the electronics department, and lo and behold! they had Wii Fits in stock. So I snapped one up, and a console.
After that, I ran over to the other side of town and finally bought a new pair of black shoes -- my old ones were so stretched out they were practically falling off my feet with every step and giving me cramps in my arches if I had to walk any distance in them.
And about the time we got home, it started... snowing. Even though it was 45 outside. Great big fat flakes, in a thick flurry. Penny and Ray put on their coats and ran around in it, crazy with joy, even though it wasn't sticking anywhere. I brought Alex outside for a few minutes, too, even though he didn't want to be put down. The snow shower only lasted for about an hour, but it was fun.
After we got the kids into bed, Matt hooked up the Wii for me, and I spent about half an hour trying out the various exercises and "games" on the Fit. I'm still trying to figure out how it'll fit into my schedule, but my goal is to try to get 20-30 minutes of Wii play in every day that I don't make it to the gym. It's nowhere near as intense a workout, but it's a "something is better than nothing" strategy, and I have some vague idea that I might eventually coax Penny onto it.
So, all in all, an especially satisfying and relaxed weekend. Now, let's hope for a similarly calm week.
We thought about visiting my folks on Saturday, but Matt reminded me that Dad was on a camping trip, and Mom was out (or at least didn't pick up the phone) when I tried to call.
The de-cluttering project of the weekend was to gather up the assorted boxes of stuff for goodwill that were stashed all over the house and take them down to the thrift store. Except when I got there, they told me about a new federal regulation (new as in, just went into effect last week) that prohibits the re-sale of clothing, toys, and assorted other goods intended for the use of children under age 13. (More precisely, these things can't be resold unless they're first tested for lead buildup, and as 99.9% of secondhand stores aren't equipped/can't afford to do this testing, they're just rejecting the items.) Which seems completely and utterly ridiculous to me -- how many people actually rely on secondhand stores to clothe their kids? And the economy like it is, and now these people are going to be forced to go retail? Absurd. I had four boxes of kids' clothes in my car, most of which was in really good condition (some of the baby clothes were brand new or only worn once, even). Plus a boppy gym, a baby bath tub, and a brand new toy stroller.
It's enough to make me weep. Guess I'll be getting back on the Freecycle list; there's nothing in the law that prohibits giving stuff away. In the meantime, I stashed all the boxes and junk in our storage unit just so they weren't still cluttering up the house.
We went out for Mexican Saturday evening, and that worked out really well -- Alex was happy to sit in the high chair and eat french fries, and Penny actually ate her chicken nuggets before starting in on the fries, and my fajitas were awesome, even if I had no idea how to add it up for the diet.
Sunday we slugged around the house and ran a few errands. Matt spent half the day trying to convince the TiVO that it really did want to play nicely with his iTunes-purchased music. I took Penny to Target with me to pick up some pajamas for Alex, and while we were there I just happened to swing by the electronics department, and lo and behold! they had Wii Fits in stock. So I snapped one up, and a console.
After that, I ran over to the other side of town and finally bought a new pair of black shoes -- my old ones were so stretched out they were practically falling off my feet with every step and giving me cramps in my arches if I had to walk any distance in them.
And about the time we got home, it started... snowing. Even though it was 45 outside. Great big fat flakes, in a thick flurry. Penny and Ray put on their coats and ran around in it, crazy with joy, even though it wasn't sticking anywhere. I brought Alex outside for a few minutes, too, even though he didn't want to be put down. The snow shower only lasted for about an hour, but it was fun.
After we got the kids into bed, Matt hooked up the Wii for me, and I spent about half an hour trying out the various exercises and "games" on the Fit. I'm still trying to figure out how it'll fit into my schedule, but my goal is to try to get 20-30 minutes of Wii play in every day that I don't make it to the gym. It's nowhere near as intense a workout, but it's a "something is better than nothing" strategy, and I have some vague idea that I might eventually coax Penny onto it.
So, all in all, an especially satisfying and relaxed weekend. Now, let's hope for a similarly calm week.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Stuff stuff stuff stuff.
Really enjoying both of the email games I'm in, lately. Though I could wish they moved faster. It always takes me by surprise to look back at the archives and realize how long they've been running -- the Meadehall/Scum game for nearly a year and a half, and the 7th Sea game for over 5 years!
I'm ready for this weekend, though. Nothing in particular on the schedule for a couple of days sounds really good. We'll gather up the boxes of stuff for charity that we've been gathering and finally get around to taking them over to the thrift store, and possibly we'll pick a room and start working on the decluttering and moving of stuff to storage and/or the thrift store and/or the trash.
We might take the kids down to my parents' for a change of scenery at some point. Who knows? Not me.
I've reached the point of the winter where I'm seriously considering shaving my head. The static is making me crazy, and the dry air is making my scalp tight and itchy no matter how much moisturizing shampoo/conditioner I use (which has the charming side effect of making my hair lank and oily -- but not oily enough to resist static, ARGH).
If I shaved my head, then static-floaty hair would stop sticking to my face, and I could use real moisturizer on my scalp. Plus I'd have an excuse to wear awesome hats.
What could go wrong?
Really enjoying both of the email games I'm in, lately. Though I could wish they moved faster. It always takes me by surprise to look back at the archives and realize how long they've been running -- the Meadehall/Scum game for nearly a year and a half, and the 7th Sea game for over 5 years!
I'm ready for this weekend, though. Nothing in particular on the schedule for a couple of days sounds really good. We'll gather up the boxes of stuff for charity that we've been gathering and finally get around to taking them over to the thrift store, and possibly we'll pick a room and start working on the decluttering and moving of stuff to storage and/or the thrift store and/or the trash.
We might take the kids down to my parents' for a change of scenery at some point. Who knows? Not me.
I've reached the point of the winter where I'm seriously considering shaving my head. The static is making me crazy, and the dry air is making my scalp tight and itchy no matter how much moisturizing shampoo/conditioner I use (which has the charming side effect of making my hair lank and oily -- but not oily enough to resist static, ARGH).
If I shaved my head, then static-floaty hair would stop sticking to my face, and I could use real moisturizer on my scalp. Plus I'd have an excuse to wear awesome hats.
What could go wrong?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
This?
No idea what that was. None at all. I opened the window and started to assemble my thoughts from the last day and figure out what I wanted to write about, and when I looked up, I had written, "This is me, this is my world, this is my life." I hadn't even noticed my fingers moving over the keys.
But obviously, it meant something. I decided to just go with it. See where it led me.
I'm still not sure. It was interesting to write, though.
But obviously, it meant something. I decided to just go with it. See where it led me.
I'm still not sure. It was interesting to write, though.
This
This is me, this is my world, this is my life.
This is pain, this is joy. This is love, this is indifference.
This is perfection, this is disaster. This is wonder, this is horror.
This is me.
This is ambition, this is apathy. This is hunger, this is satisfaction.
This is my world.
This is rage, this is jubilation. This is laughter, this is sorrow.
This is my life.
This is tedium, this is frenzy. This is exhaustion, this is insomnia. This is confidence, this is worry. This is delight, this is frustration.
This is now, this is yesterday, this is tomorrow.
This is me, this is my world, this is my life.
This is me, this is you.
This is living.
This is pain, this is joy. This is love, this is indifference.
This is perfection, this is disaster. This is wonder, this is horror.
This is me.
This is ambition, this is apathy. This is hunger, this is satisfaction.
This is my world.
This is rage, this is jubilation. This is laughter, this is sorrow.
This is my life.
This is tedium, this is frenzy. This is exhaustion, this is insomnia. This is confidence, this is worry. This is delight, this is frustration.
This is now, this is yesterday, this is tomorrow.
This is me, this is my world, this is my life.
This is me, this is you.
This is living.
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