This is my brain on drugs...and, Nordy's

Two weeks out! I'm still quite sore, but feeling better everyday. I had my two week check-up with my doctor yesterday. She's so happy with my progress that she said, "I wish I could put it all back in you and do the surgery again, it went so well!" sick woman.

I'm still scootering around Costco and Super Target. Too big to walk! But, I did get to drive Colson to school, all by myself, this morning. The Director and Assistant Director at the kids' school were very excited for my ability to be behind the wheel. However, they requested that I call them once I returned home, so they didn't have to worry that I had any issues with the 3 minute drive to the house.

Lisa and I did make it to Nordy's the other day for a much needed cobb salad and some Anniversary Sale fun. Though it was all wonderful, the only purchases were shoes. Imagine that.

Ashlyn got her fall pair of "sparkle" shoes. She LOVES them - and why wouldn't she...they are DARLING!

I went in to look at a pair of grey boots I had seen online (Nordy's had the audacity to start Anniversary the Friday I was in the hospital...thank goodness for my weak internet connection). They were even more fantastic in person, though!

And, proving my daughter comes by her love of sparkle honestly, I noticed another fabulous pair. I had taken my pain meds at lunch. I was too foggy to say no!

Today we went out to get Ashlyn's hair cut. She got her adorable do trimmed - her hair grows so quickly! She also got the glitter hair spray and the glitter hearts/stars on her cheeks, like last time. So much girly girl!

We continue to be entirely spoiled by Aunt love. Lisa has not only been helping with the kids and the house, but has been making us some very yummy food. Angel hair with vodka sauce a few nights ago, lamb gyros and homemade fries last night. Tonight we're having pork chops with a balsamic vinegar sauce. I'm starving all the time - maybe getting done with some of the pain meds, maybe the fact that my body's compensating for so much being taken out, maybe I'm just into food!? Whatever the case may be, I'm happily eating well!

Lisa's in charge!

12 days post surgery and feeling good. Okay, feeling less sore...but that is good!

Our first live-in nurse/mommy/shake-maker, Mimi, went home yesterday. Though we were all incredibly sad to see her go, Rogue and Steve seem to be the most distraught. Rogue was spoiled rotten. Entirely rotten. Constant love, leg massages, extra food and sleeping (cuddling) in bed with Mimi. This is the life Rogue loves best! Steve enjoyed the extra help around the house and with the kids...but, his main joy came from nightly milkshakes. He's always reminding me how his regular milkshakes dropped off about 5 or so years ago. Shocked that my focus has shifted from providing him a milkshake every night to getting the kids to bed, prepping for school the next day, collapsing...

Lisa is now here and in total charge of the house. Well, Kane is, but he'll let Lisa handle the "person" in charge thing. I went with her this morning for school drop off - the kids are enjoying having someone other than Mommy or Daddy at school...as are their friends.

Tomorrow is "make believe" day at school. The kids get to come dressed as anything they like. We've got some good plans at the moment...and promise some cute pictures. I don't think they've done this before at school. It's like Halloween in July - minus the candy.

Lisa and I have big plans for the day. We're going to head to Nordy's - I'm SO craving a cobb salad. One of my favorites that I did not eat before I was cut off from regular food pre-surgery. It's also Anniversary Sale time. Super cool! This is a fun time of the year for Nanny, as she gets to buy Ashlyn a pair of sparkle shoes (only able to justify these for people with quickly changing shoe sizes when they're on sale!). Ashlyn is actually at school today - she had a low fever yesterday, so we kept her home to make sure it didn't materialize into anything. She got to go to school today instead. And, Nanny doesn't feel like making the trek to Nordy's. So, this trip will be significantly better for Nanny's budget than past Anniversary Sales. Ashlyn's first was 3 years ago. She, Nanny, Barbara and I went. Let's just say there were several cute little girl things and Nanny wanted to buy everything that Ashlyn smiled at...and, of course, she smiled whenever Nanny asked her if she wanted something - since she was 8 months and smiled whenever someone spoke to her! This year - just the shoes! Personally, I'm hoping to try on a pair of Franco Sarto boots I saw online. They look very cute and may just be an early birthday present to me from me! Okay, possibly Ashlyn comes by this shoe obsession honestly.

Until later, loyal readers (that's only plural because I'm counting Ellie, as this may be getting read to her)...have a great day!

Scooter Queen

I can't believe it's been one week since my surgery. It seems like it just happened and like it's been forever, all at the same time. This may, just possibly, be due to the medication I currently require. Just a working theory.
I had my one week check up yesterday with Dr. Gillean (one day early, since Thursdays are her regular surgery days). So far, so good. She cut the strings off of each end of my incision. The surgi-strip things stay on until, at least, I go back in next Wednesday. She's happy with my progress. She said my "after" was so pretty compared to my "before"...I've seen the before pictures and I'd have to say there really was nowhere but up.
Dr. Gillean said the totally out of it feeling (physically and otherwise) would last about another week. Then, I'd slowly start to feel like I was making some progress with recovery. Just about then is when I'll be starting the Lupron. She never seemed like a kick-a-person-while-they're-down sort of person, but I'm starting to wonder. Seriously though, she wants me to feel a lot more normal before starting the Lupron - therefore, this week was not a possibility. She said maybe next week, but probably the third week out.
I had a couple fun outings yesterday and today - Super Target and Costco. I know, shocking. Truly shocking. Both adventures were cleared by my doctor, as long as I was using a scooter at each place - versus walking...which, was not even a consideration. So, I unplugged the scooter and off I went! Yesterday, at Super Target, it was just me and Mimi. Today, for Costco, we also had Ashlyn. Little was extremely interested in the fact that Mommy got to drive around the store. Luckily, she got why I was doing it, so there was no battle over whether or not she could scoot along with me.
Also yesterday, I got to go with Mimi to pick Colson and Ashlyn up from school. Very exciting for all involved! Colson was super excited because his teacher had gotten him up after nap time, (aka, the time Colson does not sleep, but hangs out on his cot plotting to slowly take over the world), to make me a get well card. It's, of course, the cutest! He cut out piece of construction paper to make flowers on the front and wrote "Get Well Mommy". Inside, he drew each member of his family (people, cats and dog!). He drew me holding flowers, Ashlyn in a pink dress with flowers on it, Steve in a blue shirt and himself in a red shirt (his favorite color, of course). Inside, it says, "Love, Colson"...I think both his teacher and I had tears in our eyes - it was so sweet!
Today, I got a beautiful vase filled with the most gorgeous roses of all colors from our amazing friends at Vickerman. Apparently, they don't only know how to produce the best Christmas trees, but they know a thing or two about roses as well! So unbelievably sweet and touching.
Finally, I must apologize for not pointing out something important in my last post...though I must say I'm a bit foggy, so I'm not quite remembering to write everything...nor am I remembering what I write a few minutes after I write it!
Anyway, enormous group of loyal readers (wow, those medications really do make me foggy) do you know the title of The West Wing, Season 3, Episode 7? Probably not, unless you're Alex, the West Wing King. Will Ellie's first doll be named Bradley Whitford? It would be appropriate.
Thanks for reading! Night night to all!

Thank you, Aaron Sorkin

Well, I survived the first night at home. Colson was very helpful and headed to bed like the lean, mean sleeping machine he is. Ashlyn was another story. She decided to throw a hysterical fit. She ended up on the blow-up bed in Mommy and Daddy's room. I think it was a mix of over-tired, overwhelmed with Mommy being home and a dash of just plain being a brat.

The cats were happy to get their regular spots in bed, once they saw I was going down for the night. However, one of them got spooked by something around 1 or 2 AM and ran across the bed. This would've been not such a big deal had they not landed on my stomach. NOT comfortable. I had Steve get the flashlight and check my incision - to make sure I wasn't, literally, popping at the seams. So far, so good.

Jiggy showed up to help with the kids' breakfast/school prep this morning. Yay! Steve got ready and dropped them off at school. God help their teachers now!

I decided to start munching on some fruit and toast - since it was time to also start taking some needed pain medicines. I turned on the TV. There it was - intelligent television. "The West Wing"...ahhhh. SUCH a change from the crap I watched at the hospital over the weekend. So good, for so many reasons, to be home!

LONG time, no post

Well, hello again! Steve and I have tossed around ideas of me doing updates on a blog or a Facebook page or a Twitter thingy. I was trying to come up with a name for a blog - since I didn't want to have to have people sign in or get an account for FB or Twitter (also, I can't get on board with the whole Twitty thing). I popped on to this blog and thought - well, I guess "muy loco stuff" applies to the kids and my current adventures. So, very crazy it is!



I am currently sitting in my hospital bed - connected with my super strong 2 bar connection (read: could go at any moment). I am waiting for the nurse to come in with my discharge papers. They don't have a nurse tech this morning, so things are moving a little slower than usual.



I just got a text from my ride. They are currently at Home Depot picking up salt for the pool. Then, they're on their way over. A. Storm is looking forward to seeing some babies in the nursery (I'm on the post-partum floor). She is entirely amused with everyone smaller that her...proving her "I'm a big girl, not a baby" point. I'm sure CXL will head right for the buttons that move the bed. He thought that was very cool when he visited the other night.



I'm very excited to be headed home today. There are the obvious reasons - hugging Muy and Loco all the time - and the less important stuff...my own, significantly more comfortable bed, a better Internet connection and the ability to watch anything more interesting on TV than the stuff I've seen in the past few days.



Health-wise, I'm coming along. By all nurse and doctor accounts, my incision looks great. It basically replaces (Dr. Gillean removes and replaces the old...gross!) my c-section incision. Though similar in a basic concept sense to a c-section (as far as abdominal incision thing goes), this surgery definitely is more intense overall than either of my c-sections.



When I initially woke up on Thursday, the pain was unbearable. They gave me an injection of pain medication to try to get on top of it quickly. In addition to the general pain from surgery, I almost constantly feel like I have to pee. Fun. Really. The doctors say that this is totally normal - mostly a result of having the stents in my ureters during surgery - and will taper off. It actually has gotten a little bit better each day. And, thankfully, the Motrin I take as one of the meds for pain specifically helps it.



Being here in post-partum has been a full circle experience for me and my, now departed, uterus. I think that it has been good to be here, in the specific place I've always been in this hospital - whether we were here for good or bad visits.

The final paragraph of this post I'm writing from my own bed! It is VERY nice to be back home. Little squeaky voices wanting to show me everything new and exciting that happened since I left for the hospital. Furry pals curled up on the bed with me. Pain meds nearby. Ah, all is right with the world!