Desmond 6 months

That Time of the Month

It's that time of the month again.  No, not THAT time of the month.  It's that time of Danny's rotation on PCH wards that I start feeling sorry for myself that my husband is never around.  It is amazing how a person could have SO many blessings in their life, but one small part goes wrong, and they narrow in on this one bad thing and forget about all the amazing things.

Until an event puts everything back into perspective again.

I was at the grocery store the other day trying to buy some diapers and wipes for a friend who just had a baby.  There was one other person in the aisle looking at baby merchandise.  It was a young, handicapped man in a wheel chair.  He was studying closely some item on the top rack.  I thought of what a struggle it must be for this man to shop if the item he wants is at the top and he can't reach it.  As I walked past I though how easy it would be for me to retrieve his desired item for him.  I didn't say anything to him but I thought surely he would ask me if he wanted help.

I proceeded to study the diapers right next to him looking for a good deal.  He looked like he was trying to move but his feet were stuck on something.  I wanted to ask him if he wanted any help, but I didn't want to help him with his feet.  I tried to concentrate on the diapers but kept watching him out of the corner of my eye to anticipate if there was something I could do to make his task a tiny bit easier.  He finally got his feet positioned and started to stand while reaching out for his desired item.  I decided to speak up and asked if there was anything I could do to help.  He didn't appear to hear me.  I didn't want to repeat myself if he had heard me, and I also didn't want to stare, so I went back to studying the diapers.  After considerable struggle, he got a hold of a pack of pacifiers and sat back down.  He said "Thank you" so I understood that he had heard me, but I hadn't helped him.  I felt pretty worthless.  He started leaving the aisle and I smiled at him as he passed.  I selected a package of diapers and walked the other direction to finish collecting the rest of the items I needed.

I haven't been able to get this man off my mind since.  What must his life be like?  If he is the one at the grocery store by himself buying pacifiers he must have a key role in raising a baby.  I struggle enough to raise a baby and I have the most wonderful baby in the world and neither of us have any health problems. It's times like this that I inwardly scold myself for ever feeling self-pity.

Oh woe is me.  I have a beautiful house where everything works properly and is bigger than we really need.  Air conditioning to protect from the heat, a comfortable bed, and an abundance of food.  I have an incredible husband who is supportive, funny, helpful, hard working, and never mean or belittling.  We both come from large, strong, and loving families.   We have the most precious child who is sweet, happy, and healthy.  I live in a great, safe neighborhood with ward members surrounding me on every street.   We have a steady income and enough money sufficient for our needs.  We have two reliable cars that run well and get us where we need to go safely.  I get to stay home and raise our child the way I see fit, and Danny has a secure job that he enjoys.  We have no health problems at all and our bodies function the way they should.

After all that and I'm upset if Danny has to work late and some weekends now and then.  I hope blessings aren't taken away for ingratitude.  I am grateful.  I am SO grateful for the many things I was given.  I know my life won't always be perfect, but I am glad for what I have now.  I hope that I can always keep things in perspective and never let myself focus on the minuscule negatives.

Desmond by Month

Check out my growing boy!

Desmond at 5 months:

Desmond at 4 months:

Desmond at 3 months:

Desmond at 2 months:

 Desmond at 1 month:

Ode to My Baby

In my last post I boldly stated, bring it ON! But it appears, since there have been no more posts for the space of 5 months that I miserably failed that battle.  Sleep training was not as easy as I thought it would be, especially when you have a pediatrician husband that tells you everything you just read in that book is bollucks.  He told me to throw Baby Wise in the garbage.  We do still sleep, eat, play and love it.  Desmond goes through cycles.  He sleeps GREAT for a period of time (a couple of days to a couple of weeks) then sleeps lousy for a period of time.  The biggest help I've found is putting him down drowsy but awake and swaddling him TIGHT.  He's almost 6 months and I still swaddle him, but hey, if he sleeps better that way, I'll swaddle him until he's 8 years old.

Here is a letter I wrote about him about a month ago:

Warning:  I have a feeling this letter is going to get quite sappy and mushy.  If that’s not your thing, this letter may not be for you.  There is not a lot of pertinent information in this letter; it is pretty much just a brag fest.  I have observed so many blessings in my life and I wanted to get them all down.    Don’t be fooled though, just because there is no pertinent information does not mean this will be short.  This is a typically long letter from me.  You’ve been warned.

This has got to be the best it can ever get.  I cannot imagine life being any better than it is right now.  There is not one thing I can complain about.  Not one thing I would change.  In this moment right now my life is perfect.  I’ve been going back and reading all my old letters from when I was in college, and realized that I complained a lot.  Of course, my life was very stressful and busy and I was learning a lot of hard life lessons.  In a lot of my letters I longed for that current phase tobe over and couldn’t wait for the next phase to start.  After a while I realized I was never pleased with my current life and tried to always focus on the good even though deep down I always thought life would get better in just a little while.  Well I think I’ve reached that point.  I have arrived.  This is the exact moment I had been waiting for.  Every semester I couldn’t wait for new classes or a new living situation or a new boy. Near the end of school I couldn’t wait to start teaching.  Then when I started teaching I couldn’t wait for summer or thought a different school would be better or a different grade or different coworkers.  After awhile I felt done with teaching the kids of people with bad parenting skills and I couldn’t wait tojust stay home with my own kids and raise them my way.  When I was single I couldn’t wait to have a boyfriend, then when I fell in love I couldn’t wait to get married, then once I got married I couldn’t wait to get pregnant, then I couldn’t waitto get that kid out of my belly, then I couldn’t wait for that kid to stop crying and sleep better. *breathe* It happened.  Everything I possibly wanted happened.

We have a beautiful house, cars to get around, support from family nearby, lots of support and love from family not so nearby, the gospel, a meager but steady income, food in our cupboards, health, friends, knowledge, a GREAT marriage, love, consideration and compassion for each other, and THE MOST WONDERFUL BABY IN THE WORLD.

I admit, when Desmond was first born I was not fully invested.  I was hormonal, sleep deprived, and I think I had some baby blues.  The baby was so needy, and I couldn’t always figure out what he needed when he would cry so I couldn’t calm him down.  Danny tried to do everything he could to be supportive, but he was consumed with work and it felt like everything was up to me.  I gave everything I had and Desmond would just ignore me or scream at me.  That has all changed now.  Every development Desmond has made up to this point has made my life easier and easier. Now he smiles, babbles, and laughs all day long and rarely ever cries.  He is learning to be entertained by his environment and doesn’t need me to be holding him and giving him his pacifier all the time.  He is interested in small toys, loves playing in his play gym, dancing in his jumper, sitting up in his bumbo, attacking helpless stuffed animals, staring at his reflection, and sucking on his fingers/arm/whole fist.  He just learned how to roll over onto his belly and discovered he has toes (which have even found their way to his mouth a couple times).  But this is the ringer, just in the last week he has started sleeping 7-9 hour stretches at night and taking 1-2 hour naps during the day. Hallelujah, Hallelujah!  He nurses great and he takes a bottle cold/warm/different nipples no problem.  He loves Mom and Dad, but is happy and willing to go to anyone.  If we’re out and about all day he’s perfectly happy to go with us. If he’s tired he’ll fall asleep in his car seat or stroller and he’ll take a bottle on the go or nurse with me in public or in the car.  His hair (yes, he has hair, leave my baby alone) has evened out so he doesn’t look like an old man, his tear ducts have cleared so he doesn’t have crusty eyes all the time, his recent runny nose has cleared, and he is just so DANG beautiful.

With every touch, glance, and giggle I fall further and further in love with him.  Of course I loved him the moment I laid eyes on him but now I’m all in.  There’s no going back now.  My life would feel utterly lost without him.  I want the world for him and would do anything for him.  I just love the way his skin feels, the way he smells, the way he smiles, and screeches for a laugh.  I love when I walk in a room to find him holding a conversation and laughing with his reflection.  But when I talk to him he’ll stop everything and start searching the room for me.  When he finds me he’ll stare, break into a smile, then start laughing and laughing.

I know Danny feels the same way about him and loves him just as much as I do, but he has made the sacrifice to work hard all day (literally) so that I can be the one who gets to stay home all day to play with him.  At the end of the day Danny will ask, “So what did you guys do today?”  Most days I pause, and can’t think of anything meaningful to tell him besides sitting around all day enjoying each other’s company.  Whole days will pass so quickly and I don’t know where they have gone.  When Desmond was first born I thought it would be nice to get away every now and then and work part time.  Now I can’t imagine ever leaving him with someone else on a consistent basis.  I would miss so many amazing moments with him.  I never want him to change.  I want him to stay exactly the way he is right now, forever.  He is SO sweet and precious.  I know every milestone from here on out is going to make everything more challenging.  He’s going to start crawling then walking and getting into everything.  He is going to start teething and biting.  He’s going to start requiring solid foods and I’ll have to worry about varying his diet, and he’s going to be picky and messy.  He’s going to start seeking independence and pushing boundaries and being defiant.  Eventually he’ll start playing with friends and picking up bad habits that are hard to control. Then further down the road there will be more children and they’re going to out number me.  There will be fighting and arguing, and differences of opinions. I’m sure I’ll have a more difficult calling and there will be more responsibilities. *breathe*  I know there will be good moments and in the end it will all be worth it, but I also know life will NEVER be as easy or as peaceful as it is right in this very moment.

In a letter I wrote in college, I had an epiphany and wrote about how I apparently had a need to fill my life with responsibilities and things to do.  (It was my last term of college.  I only had one required class, but instead of taking it easy for once I filled my time with a full schedule of unrequired classes and worked 2 jobs.)  Not anymore.  I’m not going to add any unrequired tasks to my life right now.  I am going to spend every minute I can enjoying and loving my sweet child.

This afternoon Desmond and I had a picnic in our backyard.  We lay on a blanket in the shade of our grapefruit tree and he talked to me and tried to figure out his rattle while I ate my food.  We enjoyed the warm breeze and the sweet smell of the citrus blossoms and Desmond marveled and laughed at the rays of sun coming through the leaves.  After I finished myfood we just played and cuddled outside until it was time for his nap.  I brought him in, wrapped him snuggly in his blanket, rocked him and sang “Carry On” to him until he fell asleep.  I gave him a kiss and placed him gently in his crib and he has been sleeping now for two hours while I’ve been typing this letter.  Absolutely perfect!

Now do you understand why I am so blissfully happy?  I have a wonderful, loving, righteous, supportive husband, and a healthy, beautiful, perfect baby boy.  What else could I ask for?

Bring it On

I've heard it said that it's impossible to spoil a child less than 6 weeks old.  So from the  moment we brought home sweet little Desmond we've given him everything he could possibly desire.  When he fussed we picked him up. When he cried we fed him (whether it had been 3 hours or 30 minutes since the last time he ate). When he was tired we rocked him to sleep. If he couldn't sleep I walked around with him in my sling or took him for a walk in my Ergo so he could get a good nap.

Well he was six weeks old on Sunday, and that's all about to change.

I always said I would never spoil my child, but now that I have one it seems so hard. I don't want to let him cry.  I want him to always be happy.  But I know that to have a baby with a happy disposition I have to be tough...but it's so hard.

Bring on the sleep training.  He still wakes up several times in the middle of the night.  The goal to to get his daytime routines into a rhythm so he will start sleeping through the night on his own by 2 months.  That's the goal at least.  We'll see.

I borrowed the book "Baby Wise" from the library yesterday and am ready to put the plan into action.  I realized I should have started this sooner, but better late than never.  He is to eat, be awake for a little while, and then fall asleep on his own without nursing or me rocking him, then start the cycle over again every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. 

As I type I'm listening to him crying in his crib.  (You can do this Maretta)  I think typing this post is helping me get through it, reassuring me that what I'm doing is for his benefit, but I hate to think of my baby being unhappy! 

I just went in after 15 minutes to give him his pacifier and reassure him.  He fell right asleep.  Not exactly as flawless as I was hoping, but it was his first time, hopefully we'll get better at this.

What an Honor!

Desmond was chosen to portray baby Jesus in our ward Christmas Program last night. Some friends of ours were Mary and Joseph and held him while others sang songs about Jesus, Joseph, and then Mary.  It was so sweet to sit there and watch my baby portray our Savior.

(I also enjoyed having the whole ward swoon over him.)

Desmond did terrific through the first song.  They had to give him his bright blue binky during the second song.  And then when the pacifier wasn't cutting it, they had to give him a bottle during the last song. Maybe not the most authentic, but what do you want, it was his first performance...he didn't even rehearse.

After the program was over they served refreshments in the Relief Society room.  So many people stopped us to praise Desmond that by the time we got to the refreshments they were already putting them away.

Simple Pleasures

Yesterday I was able to enjoy a shower without Desmond screaming all the way through it.  That is the first time it's happened in weeks.  No matter when I have taken one - Desmond could be sleeping peacefully or playing happily in his bouncer - but the moment I get the shampoo in my hair he starts screaming.  There's nothing I can do by that point.  I might as well finish the shower but I have to suffer through it.  Yesterday though I made it through the whole shower without one scream, but I was fretful the whole time thinking he would start any minute.  He had only been asleep for 30 minutes but he didn't even let me get my clothes on before he started calling for me again.

Oh well.  I'll take whatever I can get.

My baby boy is a month old!

To celebrate I guess I'll update the blog.  The day he turned 1 month several things changed.  He's not a newborn any more.  We took him for his 1 month WCC.  The doctor said everything looks great! He weighed 9 lbs even and is 21.5 in long.  We are going to Phoenix Children's hospital where Danny works.  We go to the outpatient clinic where Danny does a shift every Tuesday. 

Desmond loved seeing his Daddy at work, but I think Danny loved showing off his baby to all his coworkers a lot more.

He is lifting up his head really high when we have tummy time.  I snapped these picture of him the other day and will disperse them throughout the post, because who doesn't love looking at pictures...especially of my adorable baby boy?

He likes to make funny faces at us all the time.

The morning of his 1 month birthday I was talking to him and smiling and he suddenly started smiling back at me for the 1st time.  This wasn't just any ordinary smile.  He was looking directly at me and his whole face smiled at me. A huge, open mouth, toothless grin.  Talk about melt your heart.  We went on that way for about a minute. And then he lost interest in me.

 

He has outgrown his newborn clothes and newborn diapers.  Time to start packing away his first set of clothes. Tear.

He doesn't really fall asleep on his own anymore, anytime, anywhere.  I have to watch the clock and actually soothe him to sleep when it's time for a nap.  I learned this the hard way.  We spent 2-3 days with him being fussy all day.  He wouldn't sleep very long, so I figured he was hungry and I spent the entire day nursing him.  After talking to my cousin on the phone I learned I need to put him to sleep more often and he was so fussy because he was overly-tired.  Today he's been sleeping like an angel and so wonderful when he's awake. YAY!

I LOVE my little boy and am so glad he's mine!

A Brand New Adventure Starts Now

On November 6, 2011 at 4:24pm something amazing happened.  Our happy family of 2 was blessed and changed forever. Someone new decided to join the ranks and we have become "the three best friends that anyone could have."  Desmond Grant Cannon came without a fuss at 7 pounds 13 ounces.  I had a wonderful pregnancy; no complications and I never got sick once. 

I went into labor 2 days early, had a good labor and delivery, pushed for 35 minutes and then he was here in all his glory.

Despite my episiotomy and some tearing, I felt fine the next day, and 4 days later I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans.  Desmond sleeps for 3 1/2 - 5 hour stretches at night and I only have to get up once or twice with him.  He is beautiful and so sweet and we are in love with every 21 inches of him. 

Danny jokingly threatened to beat him up several times while I was pregnant.  He is looking forward to having someone to wrestle with, but it was Desmond who came out fighting, he has already peed on Danny twice.  The first time was only minutes after he was born.  He has yet to pee on me.  :)  

Danny says I'm dead inside because I never cry, but that has all changed now. When I do little things like sing him the first few lines of "Families are Forever" as he falls asleep or write about him in this blog I start blubbering.  I can't control the water works.  This baby has already captured my heart and I will never be the same again.

Welcome to our family Desmond! We're so glad the Lord has sent you to us. 

Off We Go

This thing has been neglected for a ridiculously long period of time.  I thought I would just post a quick update.  The day I thought would never arrive has now come and gone.  We have matched for residency!  We tried to stay in Pittsburgh, and we tried to be closer to family in Dallas, but there is another plan in store for us.  We are being sent to Phoenix!  We are very excited and are trying to (very quickly) plan our new lives.  I will quit my job May 6th, then comes some traveling, a LOT of packing, a graduation, and then we're off.  We still have to find a house to live in, and try to figure out what neighborhood that house should be in from over 2000 miles away.  We have got a BUSY two months ahead of us. Danny starts his residency June 13th.

There will always be a spot in our hearts for Pittsburgh and most especially the friends we have made here.  So many people have been so good to us, it will be hard to say goodbye.  We will miss the unique architecture, the seasons, the green, the food, the unity through sports, and even the mispronounced words and ill formed sentences.  We will not miss steep, pot-holed, bumpy, anorexically skinny roads.

Thank you for giving us so much Pittsburgh and making us so happy in our short time here.  We will never forget it.

Pitts"burgher" Bucket List

As I sit here waiting for Danny to finish a practice test and listening to my stomach growling at me, I'm trying to decide where I would like to go for dinner.  Danny and I have lived in Pittsburgh for over a year now.  We are pretty boring with our restaurant selections.  We are living on my teaching salary, so our budget is limited.  To avoid a surprisingly large check at the end of the night we keep our restaurants simple.  I'm realizing though that we now have less than a year left here and I think we need to start branching out from our usual Taco Bell, Little Caesars, Steak and Shake, or Five Guys.  I've decided to make a Pitts"burgher" bucket list of all the cheap restaurants we need to go to before we possibly leave next May.

The Pittsburgh Restaurants we've been to so far are:

Primanti Brothers**

Deluca's*

Pamela's****

Southside Steaks*

Los Chiludos****

What's Cookin at Casey's***

Jerome Bettis' Grille 36***

Alladin's*

Carbonara's**

Tamarind****

Taj Mahal***

Dormont Dogs****

Mendoza Express***
Beto's Pizza**

(*Not impressed)
(**Eh, I've had better)
(***Pretty good, I would go back)
(****LOVE IT! I'm going to miss this when I'm gone)

The Pitts"burgher" Bucket List:

Restaurants recommended by others:

Uncle Sam's

Dor-Stop

Quaker Stake and Lube

Fiori's Pizzaria
Mineo's Pizza House
Fuel and Fuddle
Green Mango
Angkor 

Restaurants I just found online:

Smiling Banana Leaf

Peppi's

D's Six Pax & Dogz 

Thai Me Up  

Original Hot Dog Shops Inc

Cambod-Ican Kitchen

The Terrace Grill 

A'Pizza Badamo

Armstrong's 

Do you have any thoughts on those restaurants?

Are there any other cheap restaurants you are in love with or wouldn't be able to live without? Give me your suggestions please, our deprived tummies are yearning for some culture! (Even if it is Pittsburgh culture) 

Tastes good...

So I made sausages for dinner today and decided some green peppers would taste really good with them.  I tried to think if I had any in the fridge...no.  I tried to decide if I could run to the store to get some before the sausages finished cooking...not enough time. Instead, I walked out my front door, around to the side of the house, reached down into my garden, and PICKED one!

That was a first.  I've never found that I was missing a key ingredient for dinner and realized I was growing that very thing right outside my front door.  Amazing!  I admit, it probably was not ready to be picked.  It was only half the size it could have gotten, but I got it when I wanted it, and victory never tasted SO good!

Let's take a peek at some of my other vegetables...

Zucchini:

 

Broccoli:

The ones in the ground are doing a little better than the ones in the pots.

I planted some in pots on my deck to protect them from the deer.  It looks like I should have been more concerned about deck dwelling insects.

Carrots:

Spinach:

Poor spinach never had a chance.  Apparently it likes cool weather...not 95 degree Pittsburgh humidity.

Tomatoes:

I should be awarded Employee of the Month

Let's review the facts.

1. On June 1st I started my new job and I was 15 minutes late because the battery in my car was dead.

2. On June 4th I insisted on ditching the tour of our new locations early because Danny and I were going to Philly for the weekend and I didn't want to hit traffic.

3. On June 16th we moved from the central office to our new location in Carnegie and I was 20 minutes late because my battery had died again.

4. On June 18th I went on vacation to Utah for 12 days and I missed 7 1/2 days of work.


5. On July 1st (my 1st full day back at work after our vacation) I came to work for 2 hours then left early due to the splitting pain in my abdomen.


6. Turns out I had to have surgery and missed another 6 days of work.

While I was out recovering I had $720 worth of work done on my car, including a new battery, so I wouldn't have to be late to work again.

On July 13th (my 2nd day back at work after the surgery) I had to go to the central office in the Waterfront at 8:30am to sign some paper work.  At 9am I was in my car headed back to the Carnegie office. They had the main road closed off for construction.  Traffic was forced to cut through the shopping center in order to get out.  As I was cutting through I noticed I was right in front of a Target and there was an empty parking space right in front of me.  I knew I needed some face wash and I would have to go get some eventually.  I whipped right into that parking space and rushed into Target to make my purchase quickly so I could get back to work.

As I stepped into the Target I got that familiar rush knowing there were so many things that would be fun to buy.  So many trinkets and knick-knacks; things I didn't need, and things I probably did need if I thought long enough about it.  I set off with a purpose toward the health and beauty department.  I was side tracked momentarily in the jewelry department.  I spent a good minute or two looking at all the shiny earrings.  I even picked a couple up to look at them closer.  I was strong though.  I put the earrings back and completed my mission.  I grabbed my face wash and headed for the cashier.

Since it was so early in the morning they only had 1 register open.  I got in line behind 6 other customers.  After a couple minutes another employee came over and opened another lane.  The lady in front of me let me go 1st since I only had 1 item. "Yes!" I thought.  I was going to get in and out and back to work.  I paid for my item, got my receipt, and headed for the car.

As I was walking I started digging through my purse for my keys.  They weren't clipped to my strap.  They weren't sitting on top.  They weren't under my wallet.  I started wondering if I had left them somewhere in the Target as I was browsing.  Maybe by the earrings.  I decided to go to my car first so I could thoroughly search my purse. I was in a hurry and didn't want to have to go back in the store if it wasn't necessary. Nope. Not there.  Before turning back I decided to look inside of my car.  There they were.  In the car.  In the ignition.  And what was that sound? It wasn't the car next to me.  It was my car.  I had gotten out of my car and LEFT IT RUNNING!!!  I tried my door. Locked.  I tried the backdoor.  Locked.  I looked at the 2 doors on the other side.  Both locked.  I tried my door again.  Still locked.

I went back in the Target and asked for help.  Surely someone at the customer service counter would serve their customers.  After 7 minutes someone finally came over to see what I wanted.  I explained the situation and just asked for a hanger and a screwdriver so I could pry my way into my car.  They basically said "I don't think so" in a politically correct way and suggested I call the police.

I called 911 and explained the situation to the dispatcher who told me the police don't open car doors anymore and I would have to call a locksmith.

I fished my AAA card out of my wallet which was 14 months expired and called them to see if there was anything they could do.  They told me they could renew my membership for $60 and charge me a $25 fee for same day service.  This time I was the one to say "I don't think so."  

I called Danny to see what he could do to help.  He said he would come to unlock my door with his spare key but it would take about 40 minutes to get to me.  I had him look up the number for our insurance company to see if they would help.

I called USAA and they said they would be glad to help me.  (Hurray!) They said they would contract with a local locksmith to come out and unlock my door but it would be 40 minutes.  I was sure they were giving themselves a wide buffer in case something happened but they would probably get to me a lot quicker.

I leaned against my car and waited for rescue.  5 minutes passed.  No rescue.  I called my boss to let her know the situation and that I would be late.  10 minutes.  No rescue.  My car was getting hot.  I grabbed my purse and my face wash and walked over to the sidewalk in front of Target to wait on a curb.  20 minutes.  No rescue, but what was that smell?  It must have been the drainage pipe next to me.  I grabbed my things and moved down the curb, far from the drain.

Many people came and went.  Cars pulled in and cars pulled out.  "That could have been me if I wasn't so dense.  Why did I come to the Target any way?  Was this face wash really that important?  I should have kept driving!"  30 minutes.  No Rescue. "The next car will probably be him.  He should be here any minute."

I eagerly inspected every truck that came near.  Anything that looked like a work vehicle could be him.  I would get so excited as any truck came near thinking, "I waited patiently and now the wait is over."  Every time they would keep driving right on past me. 40 minutes.  No rescue.  Times up.  I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of the locksmith company.  I decided I would give them 5 more minutes and then I was calling to chew them out.  41 minutes. 42 minutes. 43 minutes. 44 minutes. *Ring* It was him!  He was here!

It took him 5 minutes.  He stuck a pad inside the door, pumped it up, got his stick in there, fiddled around a bit, and click, the door was open!!

7. On July 13th (my 2nd day back at work after the surgery) I was 2 hours late to work because I locked my keys in the car...while it was still running.


Wouldn't you consider me for employee of the month?

Healing Quickly

I know people have been concerned about me so I wanted to write an update on how the recovery is going....  It's going great!  I had a lot of help and friends to hang out with while healing which made it go quicker as well.  I know my doctor told me to stay home for two weeks, but I say that a happy body is a healing body.  I would have gone crazy if I never left the house! 

My happy healing started when I got out of the hospital.  I called my friend Ashley from the hospital to tell her what happened and she had a delicious meal (and a hug) ready for us to pick up as we passed her house on our way home. When Danny's parents heard what happened they sent roses to my house.  Conveniently, they were delivered while Danny was at home for an hour getting some things together for school.  When I walked in the door my flowers were there to greet me.  I went straight up to lie in bed and Danny brought the flowers up to me with a TV tray so I could have them right next to me! :) 

I took it easy on Saturday, but on Sunday night I went over to my bishop's house for dessert and to watch Mt. Lebanon's fireworks with my ward.  On Monday Ashley and Jordan invited us over for dinner.  Delicious blue cheese burgers and a rowdy game of Pirates Cove (which I won!). On Tuesday I went out with the girls for some dessert (chocolate, of course) and to watch Eclipse. 

I think my doctor would cringe if he found out how much I did NOT stay tucked up in my bed.

I called Megan for another dinner, but she was out of town, so CJ brought us some AMAZING pizza from Cestone's. I felt bad, but not too much, because the pizza was delicious.  Thursday some of my new coworkers came over to see me and to bring me dinner.  My boss also came and brought me an edible arrangement, balloon, and teddy bear.  Aren't they so cute?  And I only met them like a month ago!

I stopped taking any pain medication a week after the surgery and was able to take the steri strips off my incision.  There was still a lot of bruising, but it is looking better by the day.  I was back at church on Sunday teaching my primary class, and back to work on Monday (shhh, don't tell the doc).

I can do most things as normal now. The only times I really notice my incision is when I sneeze or roll around in bed trying to get comfortable.  I can't lift heavy things or work out for several more weeks, so I get to sit on the couch and eat Oreos while I watch Danny struggle through (or as he would say, "dominate") P90X.