5 away!

I just realized I'm only 5 posts away from 100! It's taken me over 3 years, but time flies when you're as busy as we seem to always be.

Today, one of my parenting nightmares came true...We were at the grocery store, and Lilli pointed to an overweight older woman (at least in her 60's) and says, "Does that lady have a baby in her belly?" I told her no and that it wasn't polite to say something like that, and yet she said it at least 2 more times! The woman wasn't far from us and I was praying she couldn't hear her, so I grabbed our groceries and walked out as quickly as I could.
I tried to explain to her that old women can't have babies in their bellies, only young women can. "Like you, mommy?" she asked. If only she knew! So, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I asked her if I look like I have a baby in my belly. Thank goodness she said no! So, on our way through the parking lot, she's saying, "Does that lady have a baby in her belly? No, she's old. Does that lady have a baby in her belly? No. Does that lady? "
Somehow I always seem to botch these learning opportunities with Lilli. My explanation seems logical and a concept a 3 year old could grasp, but it never turns out the way I imagined it would.

I just finished watching the newest film version of Jane Eyre, and when it was over I was thinking how it is such a classic romance and has a happy ending. Then I thought- that's pretty sad when your opinion of a romance with a happy ending involves abused orphans, men forced into marrying lunatics, devastating house fires, suicide and the leading man ends up blind." You say tomato, I say- I've always been more of the melancholy type.

Lilli is going to be Princess Jasmine for Halloween, and our dog Jasper is going to be Raja, Jasmine's tiger. I am SO excited. I might get an unhealthy amount of pleasure from dressing her up. Sometimes I just want to say: I waited a really long time to have this child! Let me dress her up and treat her like a princess!

Fall is on its way to the Northwest, and even though I'll be (a little) sad to see the sunny weather go, I'm excited for the next season. Autumn is definitely my favorite time of the year around here. Turning leaves, apple and pear harvest time, drives through the Columbia River Gorge and the Fruit Loop. It's a stretch of highway in Hood River that has 30 or 40 farms selling their wares- from apples, pears, and pumpkins to antiques and wine. We always get many pounds of Honeycrisp apples (haven't tried one? Go. Now!) and tons of pictures. Now, some people say the fall colors are even more spectacular in New England, but since I've never been there, I can't and won't agree. I also love my fall scented candles and decorations for the house, Halloween costumes, and yes, the rain. When it starts, I'm not really dwelling on the fact that it will last for 9 months. That must be a survival mechanism; otherwise, I wouldn't stay sane!

To finish up today's re-cap of happenings and random thoughts, I'll leave you with this:

Ok, first, let me preface by saying: My brain is like a train. One that often gets de-railed and goes hurtling down the tracks, threatening to mow down anyone in its path. Alright, maybe not the last part.

Anyway, I was reading a fashion blog, reviewing the red carpet looks from the Emmys. (That's the only reason I would watch the Emmys anyway- for the clothes.)

I guess the celebrities with unnaturally smooth foreheads and seemingly no facial muscles made me think of Botox, which made me think of my one and only foray into the world of paralyzing the muscles in my head and neck.

It was...2004, I guess. I'd been suffering from frequent and insufferable migraines for 5 years. Suffering through agonizing pain, nausea, sensitivity to sounds and smells, and had been on probably around 20 different medications, none of which made a noticeable difference. (In the end, I was tried on I believe 36 medications. Sheesh.) So my neurologist suggested I try Botox. I forked over many, many hundreds of dollars to have it done, since of course my insurance wouldn't cover it. (Did I mention none of our fertility-related expenses were ever covered either. A friend of a friend had her IVF paid for by her insurance! Mental note: Move to Rhode Island if you want IVF and can't afford it!)
Anyway, I took a long lunch break to drive downtown and get 28 injections of Botox in my forehead, temples and neck. I went back to work, looking like I had a bunch of red pimples on my face, felt okay for the rest of the day, and kept looking in the mirror to see if I could still move my eyebrows. When I woke up at 2am, I found that I couldn't hold my head up straight. Nope. The only way I could hold my head was completely down, chin resting on my chest, or all the way back, staring up at the ceiling. Good times!
The doctor said I was one of the 2% of patients who had an adverse reaction to the Botox, and the pain was caused by inflammation in my neck from the needle tracks. I missed 3 days of work and was on painkillers through the weekend before I was able to go back to work. Or, go back to work and be able to look patients in the eye.

Well, that was a fun walk down memory lane! I'm glad I can look back on it now and laugh. At the time- not so much.

We're contemplating going camping this weekend, although I'm praying we'll stay home and Jason will put up the cedar shakes on our house that I've been waiting 3 years for! I'll let you know next time.