I've been putting this one off a bit, because it's complicated.
Growing up we did not have the best relationship. He was a good provider, and was home every night, but never went out of his way to do much extra for us kids (though there were exceptions). He never hit us, or anything like that, but he usually wasn't particularly nice. Most homework sessions, and all Hebrew lessons ended with me in tears. He never said it, but I really felt stupid. There were no hugs, or I love you's.
But there was good stuff too. He told great stories. Anecdotes from his youth, and time in the Peace Corps. He told us about history, and science. He read to us every night from chapter books. We read all of the Little House series, Black Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Boxcar Children, and others I'm forgetting. He would always let us watch whatever he was watching (though that may have been a negative at times). For a while, maybe in middle school, we went ice skating at this outdoor rink in Palo Alto, every Sunday night. (And whenever the elementary school would have a roller rink night, he would go, he really liked that kind of think). And he was funny, and (still is) one of the smartest people I know.
In my teens things were not good between us. I can't remember any particular thing, but it just wasn't good. I was convinced that at the first opportunity, I'd leave and never look back.
But that didn't happen. I stayed there when my mom and sisters left. And I stayed all of college. And Aaron and I stayed there when we were first married. Dad didn't charge us rent.
The turning point was when Aaron and I moved to Utah. Dad's health took a bad turn, he broke his arm, and had bi-lateral hip replacements and the Crohns diagnosis. When things got worse for him, they got better for us. Odd as that may sound. He became very generous and sent checks for birthdays. And if we were in a jam, he send money no questions asked (except how much do you need?).
Aaron and I moved in with him again for 6 months or so after returning to California. There were still health issues, and we were able to help with that. And things there better.
But I was still resentful. And every Father's Day at church was awful. I had to hear about all these great relationships, and there I was with none of that. Then, one day, I had an epiphany. He did the best he could. And that changed everything.
His childhood was not great. His mother was very often mean, or downright cruel. There was corporal punishment in his house, despite not doing anything that would warrant it. He did well in school, didn't cause trouble, and followed the rules. Nothing was ever good enough for his mother. And all of that sank in. He didn't beat us, he didn't berate us. He helped with our homework the only way he knew how. He read to us daily, and taught us a lot.
And at this point, I can say I love my dad a lot. He has done more for me than either he or I will ever know. His health issues still linger, which is scary. (And so odd considering he led a really healthy life. He was always active, never over weight, didn't smoke, drink, or eat badly, and yet everything still went bad.)
Showing posts with label dad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dad. Show all posts
Friday, October 14, 2016
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Stoke. Angioplasty. Party.
Stroke.
16 July 2015, in the evening. Grandma (Aaron's grandma) was at home, and suddenly got very dizzy. So much so that she couldn't stand, or walk, and started throwing up. We (all the family) were concerned, but assumed it was an inner ear issue (Aaron thought it might be the flu).
I went to work Friday morning, and got a call from Sophie (Aaron's cousin) that the ambulance had come and taken Grandma to Good Sam. Janet (my MiL) was watching Bertie (as she does whenever I go to work), but left him with my FiL. Not knowing what was going on, or if things were dire, I left work and went to the ER. Aaron met me there, and Sophie met us as well, with Bertie in tow. Bertie was tired, so after a bit, I took him home. Aaron stayed all day, except to come home and pick up lunch. Through a CT scan and MRI, they were able to see that she'd had a stroke (a clot). It was small and in the back, center of her head. (None of us knew that severe and sudden dizziness was a sign of a stroke. It's not on mentioned in FAST). She was admitted and treatment began. She was still funny though. She said "See? And you thought it was all in my head. And you were right!" She was really thirsty but was NPO until she could be evaluated for swallowing (which anyone could tell wasn't an issue). But day 3 she was doing much better. She was eating like normal, walking around, and back to her old self.
On Wednesday she was moved to the Mission Oaks Good Sam campus for rehab. This is a better set up than the hospital. Much quieter, no shared rooms, better sleep, and no age restrictions on visitors. (So Bertram and the other great-grand kids can visit. The hospital is 13+ only). She does three therapy sessions a day OT, PT, and sometimes ST. She's doing really well. If I didn't know she'd had a stroke, I'd never have guessed. Which is amazing and a huge blessing. We need our 91 year old matriarch. She's slated to come home on Tuesday.
Angioplasty.
22 July 2015, early in the morning. My dad went into Good Sam to have his 2nd angioplasty procedure. After his heart attack, he had one. At that time they were only able to clear one artery and left the "widow maker" blocked. (I should mention that my dad is the type that should not have a heart attack. He's always treated his body well, maintained a healthy weight, and before Crohns was an issue; he was, in general, in good health). A few weeks back, his cardiologist, Dr Kao, suggested they try a second angioplasty to see if the blockage could be removed. The previous procedure used a vein in the wrist, this one would be done in the groin (femoral artery). I was nervous, because I know the femoral artery is more risky, and it is messing with the heart. I took the day off work, and picked him up at 5.45am. They took him back fairly soon, and told me it would be a couple hours. I sat in the waiting room for a while, and then went to a walk. I checked in after a couple hours, they said it was going fine, but they'd started a little late. I waited, worked on my crossword puzzles. A little after 3 hours, I checked again. They said everything was fine, it was just taking longer than usual. I was starting to get very anxious at that point. I think around 3.5 hours the nurse came and said he was in recovery, everything went well, and Dr Kao would be out to talk to me soon. He told me everything went well. They tried to go after the clot the back way, but were unable, and had to back out, and go the front way. Because of this, they had to open the femoral artery in the left and right legs. There were actually two clots (blocked 99%), but he was able to clear both, and put in 2 stents in one blockage, and one in the other. He checked the original stent, which was still doing its job. His heart should be good to go for a while. He was feeling ok after the procedure, except he couldn't pee. So he ended up needing to be catheterized. He stayed in the hospital for 24 hours after the procedure and then I drove him home. He has a follow up with Dr Kao later this week.
Party.
26 July 2015, today. Sophie threw Janet a tea party for her 70th birthday. I was kind of surprised she went ahead with the party (due to grandma's stroke), but the show must go on. I went over yesterday to help with set up a little, mainly I watched Sophie's two little ones (and Bertie) while she and her hubby picked up tables. I made cucumber tea sandwiches, and sugar cookies.
16 July 2015, in the evening. Grandma (Aaron's grandma) was at home, and suddenly got very dizzy. So much so that she couldn't stand, or walk, and started throwing up. We (all the family) were concerned, but assumed it was an inner ear issue (Aaron thought it might be the flu).
I went to work Friday morning, and got a call from Sophie (Aaron's cousin) that the ambulance had come and taken Grandma to Good Sam. Janet (my MiL) was watching Bertie (as she does whenever I go to work), but left him with my FiL. Not knowing what was going on, or if things were dire, I left work and went to the ER. Aaron met me there, and Sophie met us as well, with Bertie in tow. Bertie was tired, so after a bit, I took him home. Aaron stayed all day, except to come home and pick up lunch. Through a CT scan and MRI, they were able to see that she'd had a stroke (a clot). It was small and in the back, center of her head. (None of us knew that severe and sudden dizziness was a sign of a stroke. It's not on mentioned in FAST). She was admitted and treatment began. She was still funny though. She said "See? And you thought it was all in my head. And you were right!" She was really thirsty but was NPO until she could be evaluated for swallowing (which anyone could tell wasn't an issue). But day 3 she was doing much better. She was eating like normal, walking around, and back to her old self.
On Wednesday she was moved to the Mission Oaks Good Sam campus for rehab. This is a better set up than the hospital. Much quieter, no shared rooms, better sleep, and no age restrictions on visitors. (So Bertram and the other great-grand kids can visit. The hospital is 13+ only). She does three therapy sessions a day OT, PT, and sometimes ST. She's doing really well. If I didn't know she'd had a stroke, I'd never have guessed. Which is amazing and a huge blessing. We need our 91 year old matriarch. She's slated to come home on Tuesday.
Angioplasty.
22 July 2015, early in the morning. My dad went into Good Sam to have his 2nd angioplasty procedure. After his heart attack, he had one. At that time they were only able to clear one artery and left the "widow maker" blocked. (I should mention that my dad is the type that should not have a heart attack. He's always treated his body well, maintained a healthy weight, and before Crohns was an issue; he was, in general, in good health). A few weeks back, his cardiologist, Dr Kao, suggested they try a second angioplasty to see if the blockage could be removed. The previous procedure used a vein in the wrist, this one would be done in the groin (femoral artery). I was nervous, because I know the femoral artery is more risky, and it is messing with the heart. I took the day off work, and picked him up at 5.45am. They took him back fairly soon, and told me it would be a couple hours. I sat in the waiting room for a while, and then went to a walk. I checked in after a couple hours, they said it was going fine, but they'd started a little late. I waited, worked on my crossword puzzles. A little after 3 hours, I checked again. They said everything was fine, it was just taking longer than usual. I was starting to get very anxious at that point. I think around 3.5 hours the nurse came and said he was in recovery, everything went well, and Dr Kao would be out to talk to me soon. He told me everything went well. They tried to go after the clot the back way, but were unable, and had to back out, and go the front way. Because of this, they had to open the femoral artery in the left and right legs. There were actually two clots (blocked 99%), but he was able to clear both, and put in 2 stents in one blockage, and one in the other. He checked the original stent, which was still doing its job. His heart should be good to go for a while. He was feeling ok after the procedure, except he couldn't pee. So he ended up needing to be catheterized. He stayed in the hospital for 24 hours after the procedure and then I drove him home. He has a follow up with Dr Kao later this week.
Party.
26 July 2015, today. Sophie threw Janet a tea party for her 70th birthday. I was kind of surprised she went ahead with the party (due to grandma's stroke), but the show must go on. I went over yesterday to help with set up a little, mainly I watched Sophie's two little ones (and Bertie) while she and her hubby picked up tables. I made cucumber tea sandwiches, and sugar cookies.
Everything was beautiful. The food was good, people had fun. Well, except Bertie. He was really tired, and refused to nap in someone else's crib. We left before a lot of the guests, though not appreciably early. Baby fell asleep after 4 minutes in the car.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Dreams
Two nights ago, I dreamed of the farm. It was the last day there, the last morning there. The sun hadn't yet risen, and the house was mostly empty. There was an empty china hutch in the dining room, and one chair in the kitchen (Nanny was sitting there). And there was a small candy rack (like in a grocery store), with three boxes of candy (like Hot Tamales, and Mike and Ikes); one for me and one for each of my sisters. And there was some money taped to each box. A gift from my departed grandpa.
Last night I dreamed of the farm. Nanny had hired a lawn-mowing airplane. And it would come really close to the house (scarily close).
Wednesday I over slept. Bertie woke up a lot that night. And I hit the snooze too many times, and woke up at 6. I usually leave at 6, so I did a lot of running around. But Bertie took a good nap, so I got to nap too.
And last night Bertram slept all night! It's been months since that happen. He slept 8p-8a! Woo hoo! He was just a wonderful happy boy today. Like the kind of perfect mommy day. He played, we ran errands, I got stuff done, and made dinner. And we had a nice day.
I found out my dad is going to have another angiogram on Wednesday. I'm very nervous. They'll be going through the groin this time, and taking a round-about way to get to the blockage.
Last night I dreamed of the farm. Nanny had hired a lawn-mowing airplane. And it would come really close to the house (scarily close).
Wednesday I over slept. Bertie woke up a lot that night. And I hit the snooze too many times, and woke up at 6. I usually leave at 6, so I did a lot of running around. But Bertie took a good nap, so I got to nap too.
And last night Bertram slept all night! It's been months since that happen. He slept 8p-8a! Woo hoo! He was just a wonderful happy boy today. Like the kind of perfect mommy day. He played, we ran errands, I got stuff done, and made dinner. And we had a nice day.
I found out my dad is going to have another angiogram on Wednesday. I'm very nervous. They'll be going through the groin this time, and taking a round-about way to get to the blockage.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Too much
My dad had a small heart attack last week. We went to the hospital for chest pain, and ended up having an angiogram. He had a stent put in, but one vessel is still blocked. I went to his follow up with the cardiologist today. That was when I found out about the heart attack, I thought it was just chest pain. Here is what else I found out:
- The vessel that is still blocked is called the "widow maker".
- Because he still has two working vessels they call that "nature's bypass".
- He is still having some minor chest pain. So he'll be put on an additional pharmaceutical. Then he'll follow up with the cardiologist in 3 weeks. If there is still pain, then it'll be time to discuss trying another angiogram.
- It's hard to successfully stent a completely blocked artery.
So it was kind of a scary day. I have power of attorney should anything catastrophic happen. He's not even 70 yet. And the worst part is he's lived a healthy life. He has always exercised, eaten well and has never been overweight. Yet here we are: Crohns, that lead to a colectomy, and then heart disease. You do everything right, and still...
Anyway, he's on an additional heart medicine. And he's going to try to continue to take Lipitor, but he hasn't done well with statins in the past. We go back in the beginning of March.
On to something more pleasant
I got my permanent crown yesterday. Bertie came along, and did pretty well. My tooth is still sensitive, but it doesn't hurt like the temporary crown did. That was very expensive, around $700. But our new insurance will start soon, so hopefully I won't have that kind of issue again.
We started our taxes. It's looking good, and I haven't done our deductions yet. We might be able to use itemized deductions this year, due to Bertie's birth, and having to pay for our insurance our of pocket for half the year.
I'm getting excited for Bertie's birthday. My mom will be here next week, and my sister the week after that! He's been getting good at crawling. He's still doing a modified army crawl, but he's fast. He's starting to pull up, but only in his crib so far. He has 6 teeth. He is a good eater, and likes most anything we feed him.
I've been feel a lot better. I think my depression is lifting. I'm still tired, a lot. But I'm not as sad, and unmotivated.
Aaron's new job is going well. The first two months is all training. I really love that he's home by 5:30 every night.
Now Bertie is awake, so I have to stop for now.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Catching up.
- I went back to work last week. I'm supposed to work MWF 6:30-10:30am. I also worked on Thursday. The main girl in billing was off on Thursday and Friday, and Thursday was also staff meeting day. So my boss said I could bring Bertie with me that day. I got to work on Thursday at 8:45. Bertie took a nap in the adjoining office. He did well while he was awake. He got fussy during the staff meeting, and figured out that he does need to be covered, and can pull it off. So I stood behind a cubicle wall. I usually don't care, but since it's work, I was trying to be a little more discrete. As for the rest of the days: it wasn't too hard to go back to work. The schedule is really good, working so early. I think it was a little harder for Aaron, he hasn't quite gotten a morning routine down. This is the outfit Aaron chose on Monday. Plaid and stripes, good combo.
- Bertram almost rolled back to front this week. He was up on his side, and then almost all the way over, but then went back.
- He also is scratching things with all five fingers.
- I tried on my test pants this week. When I first tried them, they would only come up to my mid-thigh. This time, I could pull them all the way up. They won't button, but they go up! Yay!
- We went to Giorgio's for my dad's dinner on Monday. And we went to dinner at Olive Garden for Amanda's birthday yesterday.
- On Friday, Bertie and I went to Costco with Janet and Dennis. Costco is maddening, I'm glad I don't go there too often.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
This and that
I'm working on getting things done around here. I've been having some cramping, and I worry that baby will be here early. Granted, we have the really important things: car seat, bassinet, clothes, diapers, stroller. We also have: soap, wipes, lots of clothes, a crib (with mattress being shipped currently), a recliner, boppy pillow, changing table, cloth diapers (to use once the umbilical stump falls off), diaper pail, nail clippers, burp cloths, etc. Today I order the last of what we "need": crib mattress, pee pee teepees, changing pad and cover, high chair cover, wet bag, pail liner, and flushable diaper liners (for the cloth diapers). I still need to get a breast pump for storage, and there is a jogging stroller that folds really small (and is only $100) that I want.
I'm currently rewashing the newborn clothes. At our recent class, they said not to wash baby clothes with your clothes (due to dyes and perfumes). I'm not too worried about the diapers, and stuff he'll wear later on. He'll be used to our perfumes and dyes by then.
I ran around a got stuff today. I finally found the wash tub I wanted. (I found it online, but today was the first time I saw it in the store). I bought wipes, anti-scratch mittens, swaddlers, pads (for me), nail clippers, brush, sensitive baby soap, and a trash can for his room.
I went to lunch with Colleen today. I got to ask her a million questions about birth, and nursing, and being sleep deprived. She is a mom I'd like to be like (aside from my own), so I want lots of her advice. (And she's only bout 1.5 miles away, so she's a good resource).
It's kind of weird. I'm not actually too nervous about the actual birth. I know there will be pain, but it's what women's bodies' were meant to do. I feel like I can do it. Maybe that's foolish, or short sighted, but I feel ok about it. Kaiser is really supportive of natural birthing, and long labours. They don't do inductions (unless medically necessary), they have a really low c-section rate, and a really low episiotomy rate.
I'm concerned about the other stuff. Having a bad latcher, or a bad sleeper, or being too tired to be useful to him.
Eight more work days til maternity leave!!!
Ok some non-pregnancy stuff. I want to get the taxes done within the next week or so. Hopefully we did our withholding correctly.
Dad got out of Good Sam on Thursday. He's still not feeling great, but better. His surgeon wants to go in and fix the abscess. Dad doesn't really want to have more surgery. He has an appointment on Thursday, so we'll see what happens.
Aaron was sick all week. He had a strep kind of infection. The antibiotics he got worked really well, and quickly.
I've lost my ipod shuffle. I think I need to get a new one.
I'm currently rewashing the newborn clothes. At our recent class, they said not to wash baby clothes with your clothes (due to dyes and perfumes). I'm not too worried about the diapers, and stuff he'll wear later on. He'll be used to our perfumes and dyes by then.
I ran around a got stuff today. I finally found the wash tub I wanted. (I found it online, but today was the first time I saw it in the store). I bought wipes, anti-scratch mittens, swaddlers, pads (for me), nail clippers, brush, sensitive baby soap, and a trash can for his room.
I went to lunch with Colleen today. I got to ask her a million questions about birth, and nursing, and being sleep deprived. She is a mom I'd like to be like (aside from my own), so I want lots of her advice. (And she's only bout 1.5 miles away, so she's a good resource).
It's kind of weird. I'm not actually too nervous about the actual birth. I know there will be pain, but it's what women's bodies' were meant to do. I feel like I can do it. Maybe that's foolish, or short sighted, but I feel ok about it. Kaiser is really supportive of natural birthing, and long labours. They don't do inductions (unless medically necessary), they have a really low c-section rate, and a really low episiotomy rate.
I'm concerned about the other stuff. Having a bad latcher, or a bad sleeper, or being too tired to be useful to him.
Eight more work days til maternity leave!!!
Ok some non-pregnancy stuff. I want to get the taxes done within the next week or so. Hopefully we did our withholding correctly.
Dad got out of Good Sam on Thursday. He's still not feeling great, but better. His surgeon wants to go in and fix the abscess. Dad doesn't really want to have more surgery. He has an appointment on Thursday, so we'll see what happens.
Aaron was sick all week. He had a strep kind of infection. The antibiotics he got worked really well, and quickly.
I've lost my ipod shuffle. I think I need to get a new one.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
All corners
I told Aaron today that I may have cheated on him with SpongeBob Squarepants. Mojo is all corners. I can't ever figure out if he's up, or down or which way. Sometimes it feels like his completely perpendicular to the way he's supposed to be. It's painful at times. And when he's under my ribs, it's always on the right side. I've been playing Bach for Mojo a couple times a day. He seems to like it. And Aaron's still working his way through the Hobbit (reading it aloud to my belly (and me) most nights). The crib arrived the other day. We need to assemble it, and buy a mattress. I'm really looking forward to maternity leave and nesting. 11 work days left!!! We also have our infant care class tomorrow. I'm sure Aaron will be bored, but I'm looking forward to it.
Dad's been at Good Sam since Friday night. He has an abscess near his small intestine, and it caused the intestine to be inflamed, and that caused a partial blockage. So he was put on NPO, and started on some pain meds and iv antibiotics. Saturday and Sunday he still wasn't feeling well. He had a CAT scan on Monday, and things were looking better, and he was starting to feel better. Today he felt pretty good, And he got to start on a full liquid diet. It's looking like he'll get to go home tomorrow. Yay.
Aaron's been sick the past couple days. He has something akin to a mild flu (no fever). He stayed home yesterday and today, but went to a meeting tonight. I think he may be well enough to go back to work tomorrow, but we'll see. He's still pretty weak. Somehow, I've stayed really healthy through my pregnancy (knock on wood).
Dad's been at Good Sam since Friday night. He has an abscess near his small intestine, and it caused the intestine to be inflamed, and that caused a partial blockage. So he was put on NPO, and started on some pain meds and iv antibiotics. Saturday and Sunday he still wasn't feeling well. He had a CAT scan on Monday, and things were looking better, and he was starting to feel better. Today he felt pretty good, And he got to start on a full liquid diet. It's looking like he'll get to go home tomorrow. Yay.
Aaron's been sick the past couple days. He has something akin to a mild flu (no fever). He stayed home yesterday and today, but went to a meeting tonight. I think he may be well enough to go back to work tomorrow, but we'll see. He's still pretty weak. Somehow, I've stayed really healthy through my pregnancy (knock on wood).
Monday, November 18, 2013
Today
Or: I have plenty of first world problems.
I got up at 5:40. It's so hard to get out of bed so early. Especially since it's so cold now. I laid in bed, and played with my phone for a few minutes before forcing myself out of bed. I had gotten my stuff ready the night before, so I didn't have much to do and headed out the door at 6:04.
There was no traffic, which was nice. I got on 85N, and was going somewhere between 65 and 70 the whole way. A couple miles in, (I was driving in the middle lane) a motorcycle flew by me before I even had time to register what it was. He must have been doing at least 90! (It was still dark out!) Yikes.
I got to work a few minutes early, only to find I left the heat off all weekend, so it was 53 in my office. Brr.
I started working and ate my breakfast. I've gotten to the point in my pregnancy where everything tastes really good. After breakfast, despite not being hungry, I thought it would be a good idea to eat all my snacks. That was good, until I had terrible indigestion the rest of the day. I'm a glutton.
Also, I've been achy. My back hurts off and on. My ribs on the right side hurt pretty often. And lately, my left knee has been hurting. Plus, Mojo starting doing this weird thing lately. It's like he's stretching, or something. It's kind of pinchy. But Aaron felt him move for the first time yesterday! That was exciting. (He moves mostly in the morning, so far).
Aaron called after he drove my dad to and from his follow up appointment with Dr Youn (the surgeon). He got his staples out, and everything looks good. The doctor wants my dad to drink more (since the colon absorbs most of the water). My dad got the ok to eat a regular diet again, so he wanted lots of fatty snacks. He lost about 20 lbs. (He's right around 140 right now). Aaron had a lot of running around to do later in the day, so he passed the request on to me. (Dad still isn't good to drive, not til he stops getting light-headed).
Blue Cross was having system problems all morning. It was really annoying because they'd said call back in an hour, then I would, and they'd say call back in 30 minutes. Grr. Your one job is to have the system working. (This happens about once a month).
(The Big Lots near my house had a grand re-opening. They put in cold cases, and milk and ice cream and stuff like that. The ads I'd heard made it sound like all the stores would have that). At lunch I went to the Big Lots by work to get my dad some cookies, candy, chips, and ice cream. That Big Lots had signs that said "grand re opening" too. The stuff inside was all rearranged, but there were no cold cases! The aisles were a lot closer together, which made it really hard to navigate. That was annoying.
So I ran over to Target after that to buy frozen stuff. There was a bunch of sister missionaries hanging out in the parking lot. 8 or 10 of them! I don't think I've ever seen so many sisters hanging out together before. Weird.
After work I drove to my dad's to give him his snacks. It took a long time to get on the freeway, for some reason, even though the freeway was fine. I didn't stay long, since I still wasn't feeling great.
When I got home, I saw that the dogs did something bad. One of us, mistakenly, left the pet food cabinet unlocked (the cats can open it). Strewn all around the house were bits of packaging. The dogs had pulled out all the treats (both dog and cat), tore the bags open and ate the contents. Fiona is having some IBS issues, and is supposed to be on a very controlled diet. So they ate pretty much all the treats and some packaging. Arg.
Aaron just came home a little before 9. Fortunately, this is his only night meeting this week (I think).
Bending and getting up off the floor are starting to get hard.
I got up at 5:40. It's so hard to get out of bed so early. Especially since it's so cold now. I laid in bed, and played with my phone for a few minutes before forcing myself out of bed. I had gotten my stuff ready the night before, so I didn't have much to do and headed out the door at 6:04.
There was no traffic, which was nice. I got on 85N, and was going somewhere between 65 and 70 the whole way. A couple miles in, (I was driving in the middle lane) a motorcycle flew by me before I even had time to register what it was. He must have been doing at least 90! (It was still dark out!) Yikes.
I got to work a few minutes early, only to find I left the heat off all weekend, so it was 53 in my office. Brr.
I started working and ate my breakfast. I've gotten to the point in my pregnancy where everything tastes really good. After breakfast, despite not being hungry, I thought it would be a good idea to eat all my snacks. That was good, until I had terrible indigestion the rest of the day. I'm a glutton.
Also, I've been achy. My back hurts off and on. My ribs on the right side hurt pretty often. And lately, my left knee has been hurting. Plus, Mojo starting doing this weird thing lately. It's like he's stretching, or something. It's kind of pinchy. But Aaron felt him move for the first time yesterday! That was exciting. (He moves mostly in the morning, so far).
Aaron called after he drove my dad to and from his follow up appointment with Dr Youn (the surgeon). He got his staples out, and everything looks good. The doctor wants my dad to drink more (since the colon absorbs most of the water). My dad got the ok to eat a regular diet again, so he wanted lots of fatty snacks. He lost about 20 lbs. (He's right around 140 right now). Aaron had a lot of running around to do later in the day, so he passed the request on to me. (Dad still isn't good to drive, not til he stops getting light-headed).
Blue Cross was having system problems all morning. It was really annoying because they'd said call back in an hour, then I would, and they'd say call back in 30 minutes. Grr. Your one job is to have the system working. (This happens about once a month).
(The Big Lots near my house had a grand re-opening. They put in cold cases, and milk and ice cream and stuff like that. The ads I'd heard made it sound like all the stores would have that). At lunch I went to the Big Lots by work to get my dad some cookies, candy, chips, and ice cream. That Big Lots had signs that said "grand re opening" too. The stuff inside was all rearranged, but there were no cold cases! The aisles were a lot closer together, which made it really hard to navigate. That was annoying.
So I ran over to Target after that to buy frozen stuff. There was a bunch of sister missionaries hanging out in the parking lot. 8 or 10 of them! I don't think I've ever seen so many sisters hanging out together before. Weird.
After work I drove to my dad's to give him his snacks. It took a long time to get on the freeway, for some reason, even though the freeway was fine. I didn't stay long, since I still wasn't feeling great.
When I got home, I saw that the dogs did something bad. One of us, mistakenly, left the pet food cabinet unlocked (the cats can open it). Strewn all around the house were bits of packaging. The dogs had pulled out all the treats (both dog and cat), tore the bags open and ate the contents. Fiona is having some IBS issues, and is supposed to be on a very controlled diet. So they ate pretty much all the treats and some packaging. Arg.
Aaron just came home a little before 9. Fortunately, this is his only night meeting this week (I think).
Bending and getting up off the floor are starting to get hard.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
I was going to see my dad after work today, but he said he was feeling well, and I could just rest. But he requested I bring him a couple things when I come visit tomorrow. Namely, baby food. I went to my normal stores: Sprouts and Grocery Outlet. Turns out, I don't really know where one buys baby food. Sprouts had a few varieties, which were all organic, but pretty expensive. I didn't mind that too much. But My dad wanted meat baby food, and Sprouts only had two kinds. I got a few of each of those. I wasn't sure if Grocery Outlet would have any baby food. They didn't have any, but I got a couple little pasta cups. I may look at Target tomorrow, if I have time. I assume they'll have baby food, but as it turns out, I really don't know. Maybe you have to buy it at a special store?
We've been letting Zelda hop up and sit on the couch lately. But now she's been inviting herself up, which isn't good. So we've been keeping her off the couch, and she is unhappy about that. And expresses it by whining, and sad looks.
The driveway got removed. But now there is a huge pile of dirt in it, so we can't park there. The tree is supposed come out some time between 11/20 and 12/5, and then the new driveway goes in shortly after that. The end is supposedly in sight.
We think we've decided on a name for baby Mojo. But we're not telling anyone, because when we had previously mentioned names we liked, we got a lot of negative reaction (mostly from Aaron's mom). So we won't be telling anyone, until he's born.
I've been having crazy mood swings this week. I'm not sure why the mood always swings to bad. Why can't you be feeling ok, and all of a sudden be super happy?
We've been letting Zelda hop up and sit on the couch lately. But now she's been inviting herself up, which isn't good. So we've been keeping her off the couch, and she is unhappy about that. And expresses it by whining, and sad looks.
The driveway got removed. But now there is a huge pile of dirt in it, so we can't park there. The tree is supposed come out some time between 11/20 and 12/5, and then the new driveway goes in shortly after that. The end is supposedly in sight.
We think we've decided on a name for baby Mojo. But we're not telling anyone, because when we had previously mentioned names we liked, we got a lot of negative reaction (mostly from Aaron's mom). So we won't be telling anyone, until he's born.
I've been having crazy mood swings this week. I'm not sure why the mood always swings to bad. Why can't you be feeling ok, and all of a sudden be super happy?
Monday, November 11, 2013
Too much has happened.
If you read my Crohns blog, you'll be update with all the stuff that's been going on with my dad. He went into the hospital for bleeding a little over a week ago, and ended up having a complete colectomey (ending with a colostomy bag) on Friday. He was originally supposed to stay for a week following the surgery, but it looks like he may only need 5 days. So things are looking up.
Aaron and I have spent a lot of time at the hospital, or driving to and fro.
Mojo has been moving around a lot. Especially after I eat in the morning. I'm still feeling pretty good, my back hurts at the end of some days, and I pee a lot. I noticed today that I can feel Mojo kicking from the outside. So now I just need to get Aaron to catch him moving.
Tomorrow our driveway will be ripped out. The giant, annoying camphor tree will be going (hopefully) soon after that. I'm looking forward to the tree being gone, and having a flat, non-broken driveway, but it seems like it's going to be an annoyingly long process.
Hopefully we'll be able to go to the temple in the next couple weeks. It's been over a year since we've been, and I was practically inactive. But now I've got myself sorted out, and I'd like to go once or twice before Mojo comes along, and runs our lives.
I start my yoga class this week. I also get my hair done on Friday.
Aaron and I have spent a lot of time at the hospital, or driving to and fro.
Mojo has been moving around a lot. Especially after I eat in the morning. I'm still feeling pretty good, my back hurts at the end of some days, and I pee a lot. I noticed today that I can feel Mojo kicking from the outside. So now I just need to get Aaron to catch him moving.
Tomorrow our driveway will be ripped out. The giant, annoying camphor tree will be going (hopefully) soon after that. I'm looking forward to the tree being gone, and having a flat, non-broken driveway, but it seems like it's going to be an annoyingly long process.
Hopefully we'll be able to go to the temple in the next couple weeks. It's been over a year since we've been, and I was practically inactive. But now I've got myself sorted out, and I'd like to go once or twice before Mojo comes along, and runs our lives.
I start my yoga class this week. I also get my hair done on Friday.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
A pretty good day.
Last night was the first night I slept with a pillow between my knees for the first time. My back has started hurting a little. (Mid back, not lower, which is kind of surprising). I read that the pillow would help. When I woke up this morning, no back pain! Yay. I slept from 10:30 to 8:30, which was fantastic.
For breakfast I made the Pilsbury cinnamon rolls that have the orange icing. They were really good. We started some house chores, and then took my car to the shop. It was time for an oil change and a 90k mile check up. We came back home, and did a couple more thing, and then we drove Nonna (the truck) over the hill to Santa Cruz. Aaron's bio-mom had a post about Stagnaro's earlier this week, on Facebook. That made me want to go there. And I somehow convinced Aaron that it would be a good idea. (He is not a seafood fan, except clam chowder and calamari). The drive over was easy, and no traffic.
We didn't know that today was the 100th anniversary of the Pier. So the city was having some event about it with music and a bunch of classic cars. Some were from 1914; super ornate. We got into Stagnaro's pretty quickly. I texted my dad to see if he wanted any food he asked me to bring back cioppino, salad and bread. I got calamari and chowder, Aaron got a burger and chowder. (For a seafood place, that was a really good burger)! After lunch, we stopped at the candy store and got a couple things before heading back over the hill.
We went to my dad's house on the way back, to check in on him, and bring him his food. His prednisone has been working, and he's been eating a lot. That's good because he's 6' and was down to 147 lbs. He's mostly been feeling ok, but it still spiking fevers at night. But he's feeling and looking more peppy. We ended up staying there for a couple hours. We always get to chatting.
On the way home, we were going to go to Trader Joes for chili fixins, but decided to go home instead. I took a nap for a bit. After that I asked Aaron to drive me to Target. So we browsed there for a while, and got some stuff. Then it was time to get my car.
It was about $450, I got an oil change, new engine mount, breaks redone, and the spark plugs etc. So not too bad. We stopped by Yogurtland on the way home. Then took the dogs for a walk.
Now, I'm snuggled on the couch with Julius on my right and Zelda on my left. They're both snoozing.
Life is good.
For breakfast I made the Pilsbury cinnamon rolls that have the orange icing. They were really good. We started some house chores, and then took my car to the shop. It was time for an oil change and a 90k mile check up. We came back home, and did a couple more thing, and then we drove Nonna (the truck) over the hill to Santa Cruz. Aaron's bio-mom had a post about Stagnaro's earlier this week, on Facebook. That made me want to go there. And I somehow convinced Aaron that it would be a good idea. (He is not a seafood fan, except clam chowder and calamari). The drive over was easy, and no traffic.
We didn't know that today was the 100th anniversary of the Pier. So the city was having some event about it with music and a bunch of classic cars. Some were from 1914; super ornate. We got into Stagnaro's pretty quickly. I texted my dad to see if he wanted any food he asked me to bring back cioppino, salad and bread. I got calamari and chowder, Aaron got a burger and chowder. (For a seafood place, that was a really good burger)! After lunch, we stopped at the candy store and got a couple things before heading back over the hill.
We went to my dad's house on the way back, to check in on him, and bring him his food. His prednisone has been working, and he's been eating a lot. That's good because he's 6' and was down to 147 lbs. He's mostly been feeling ok, but it still spiking fevers at night. But he's feeling and looking more peppy. We ended up staying there for a couple hours. We always get to chatting.
On the way home, we were going to go to Trader Joes for chili fixins, but decided to go home instead. I took a nap for a bit. After that I asked Aaron to drive me to Target. So we browsed there for a while, and got some stuff. Then it was time to get my car.
It was about $450, I got an oil change, new engine mount, breaks redone, and the spark plugs etc. So not too bad. We stopped by Yogurtland on the way home. Then took the dogs for a walk.
Now, I'm snuggled on the couch with Julius on my right and Zelda on my left. They're both snoozing.
Life is good.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Thursday is almost Friday.
It's been a long week.
I got to work early on Monday, 5:50am, instead of 6:30am. I had a doctor appointment for the baby. At 6:30 I got a call from my dad, asking if I could drive him to the hospital. (He also has Crohns, and had been spiking fevers and bleeding for a week). I told him I was already at work, but I'd call Aaron. Fortunately, Aaron had brought his phone to bed the night before. (I'd started bringing mine to bed with me while Aaron was gone all Summer, now it's a habit). Aaron sprung into action, and took my dad to Good Sam. Another good thing is Aaron is on salary, and many days does not have a set schedule. He stayed with my dad in the ER til he was made comfortable, and was all checked in. Then he did a little running around, and met me at Kaiser for my appt.
My visit was boring. Except that we got to hear the heartbeat. That was neat.
After that I went back to work. Aaron went back to Good Sam to see my dad. He'd been admitted and was in a room. He's been there since. He got blood and plasma yesterday, and blood again today. Plus they started him on Prednisone again. The bleeding and fevers have stopped. They're still working on getting his H and H up. He was at 9 and 27 today, still too low, but still improving
We've been visiting him everyday. Today he was asleep, so I didn't stay long. They think he'll be able to leave tomorrow.
So with all that, I've been especially exhausted this week. I'm just drained. Emotionally, and physically. Stuff at home has been sliding, and I don't have the energy to do it. I'm glad it's almost the weekend.
I got to work early on Monday, 5:50am, instead of 6:30am. I had a doctor appointment for the baby. At 6:30 I got a call from my dad, asking if I could drive him to the hospital. (He also has Crohns, and had been spiking fevers and bleeding for a week). I told him I was already at work, but I'd call Aaron. Fortunately, Aaron had brought his phone to bed the night before. (I'd started bringing mine to bed with me while Aaron was gone all Summer, now it's a habit). Aaron sprung into action, and took my dad to Good Sam. Another good thing is Aaron is on salary, and many days does not have a set schedule. He stayed with my dad in the ER til he was made comfortable, and was all checked in. Then he did a little running around, and met me at Kaiser for my appt.
My visit was boring. Except that we got to hear the heartbeat. That was neat.
After that I went back to work. Aaron went back to Good Sam to see my dad. He'd been admitted and was in a room. He's been there since. He got blood and plasma yesterday, and blood again today. Plus they started him on Prednisone again. The bleeding and fevers have stopped. They're still working on getting his H and H up. He was at 9 and 27 today, still too low, but still improving
We've been visiting him everyday. Today he was asleep, so I didn't stay long. They think he'll be able to leave tomorrow.
So with all that, I've been especially exhausted this week. I'm just drained. Emotionally, and physically. Stuff at home has been sliding, and I don't have the energy to do it. I'm glad it's almost the weekend.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Word dump
Too much had gone on since I last wrote.
The main thing was that my dad was in the hospital for about a week and a half. He was having some really bad bleeding (from his crohns). And got taken to the hospital last Saturday (8/18). He was there til Wednesday. He still wasn't feeling well, but was released anyway. Thursday, he fell, or possibly passed out (once again, blood loss). He called his friend to take him back to the hospital, but by the time the friend arrived, he looked really bad, so they called 911, and he rode in the ambulance to the ER. He has an MRI on top on other things, and they discovered a compression fracture in T-9. Possibly from the fall, or the long term use of prednisone. He got out yesterday. I brought him some soups today, since that was all he could think that he wanted. He doesn't feel like eating. But he does seem better. Less grouchy.
My crohns has been acting up too. I started prednisone, against my better judgement. It seems to be helping, and I'm not having the severity of side effects from before.
People keep walking past the house, and Fiona is going crazy.
Monday was Aaron's birthday. We didn't do much except have dinner with Aaron's folks.
Yesterday night we went to our first Dog Scouts meeting. It was pretty fun. I think it'll be good to having the dogs making friends. And us too.
Work has been going well. I've still been doing a lot of overtime. They hired a new girl for front desk. She seems good, very professional.
Aaron's cousin had her baby today. She was supposed to be induced on 8/26, but they didn't start til 8/27, and they she wasn't dilating. Even after two rounds of pitocin, she was still under 5cm. So she had to have a c-section.
The main thing was that my dad was in the hospital for about a week and a half. He was having some really bad bleeding (from his crohns). And got taken to the hospital last Saturday (8/18). He was there til Wednesday. He still wasn't feeling well, but was released anyway. Thursday, he fell, or possibly passed out (once again, blood loss). He called his friend to take him back to the hospital, but by the time the friend arrived, he looked really bad, so they called 911, and he rode in the ambulance to the ER. He has an MRI on top on other things, and they discovered a compression fracture in T-9. Possibly from the fall, or the long term use of prednisone. He got out yesterday. I brought him some soups today, since that was all he could think that he wanted. He doesn't feel like eating. But he does seem better. Less grouchy.
My crohns has been acting up too. I started prednisone, against my better judgement. It seems to be helping, and I'm not having the severity of side effects from before.
People keep walking past the house, and Fiona is going crazy.
Monday was Aaron's birthday. We didn't do much except have dinner with Aaron's folks.
Yesterday night we went to our first Dog Scouts meeting. It was pretty fun. I think it'll be good to having the dogs making friends. And us too.
Work has been going well. I've still been doing a lot of overtime. They hired a new girl for front desk. She seems good, very professional.
Aaron's cousin had her baby today. She was supposed to be induced on 8/26, but they didn't start til 8/27, and they she wasn't dilating. Even after two rounds of pitocin, she was still under 5cm. So she had to have a c-section.
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