Method vs. Madness

My Dad, The Published Author

2009-10-20T09:02:00.003-05:00

My Dad's first book, Yet the River Flows On, has been taken on by an e-publisher and is now available for sale! I am really proud of my Dad and am praying that his success continues! The prayers are working so far, as he just got news from his publisher that they'll be publishing his second novel as well, which is called Love and War in Texas.

Here's the link to my Dad's book on Amazon.com - Take a look!

http://www.amazon.com/Yet-the-River-Flows-On/dp/B002RCJCBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256047268&sr=8-1

Congratulations, Dad. I love you!

Look Out, Jacob!

2009-08-31T21:32:00.003-05:00

During the past several weeks Jacob has had a string of terrible luck!

Right before Ethan's surgery he broke/jammed the ring finger on his left hand.

Then, during the first week of school he let his shoes rub blisters on his feet for three days straight before mentioning it to me - so by the time I saw his right heel it was a raw-meated remnant of what used to be a normal foot.

Also during the first week of school Jacob decided to venture across the monkey bars without testing their heat level first. By the third rung, when Jacob thought "ouch" and jumped off to look at his hands, he had completely blistered all of the skin off of the palm of his hand.

On Sunday, while helping me unload groceries, Jacob managed to drop a huge can of baked beans onto his big toe. A few hours later that toenail was a lovely shade of purplish-black and definitely looks like it'll be falling off in the next few weeks.

Then, to top it all off, last night after Jake crawled into bed with all of his injuries, he spilled a completely full glass of ice water all over himself, his conforter and his mattress. Ahhh!

Let's all keep our fingers crossed for his luck to turn - before I completely lose my mind!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2009-08-29T19:59:00.004-05:00

This fall marks the first (of what I'm guessing will be many) seasons of organized team sports. FUN!

As I'm sure most parents know, team sports can pretty much be a major beating. But since we all love our kids, and since we want them to have every opportunity to grow up to be Michael Jordan or Troy Aikman, we sit through countless hours of practice, spend thousands of dollars on fees and sporting equipment, and attend every single game. It's an age-old tradition, practiced by our parents, our parents' parents, and every generation before them. And now it's my turn!

Jacob is going to be playing tackle football this year, with a team called the Raiders. His first game, a scrimmage, is on September 5th (although we are not exactly sure what time yet). I suppose the keep-you-guessing schedule is just part of the fun! :)

I will say this, though, that despite all the little annoyances of getting your kids involved in sports, it IS pretty fun to watch them exploring something new and undiscovered. Jacob is fascinated by football - seriously, it's mostly all he talks about. He is having a great time bonding with other boys by hitting them. Again, an age-old tradition.

Here are a couple of pictures from practice. Enjoy!

The picture right above shows Jake tackling... Go Jacob!

Coming Off Hiatus

2009-08-29T19:47:00.004-05:00

Hello faithful readers... yes, that's right - I'm sending a special 'hello' to BOTH of you!

As you may have noticed, I haven't posted any new blogs in quite a while. Needless to say, it's been a very busy month. August has been one of the most stressful, yet wonderful, months I've ever experienced, and I am so very glad it is nearing its end. You probably already know all about Ethan's recent heart surgery - but if it's been nice and cozy under your rock and you're just now coming out for sun, here's a website (that was set up by my wonderful parents) where you can read all about recent events - www.caringbridge.org/visit/ethandecadi . I know I've said it a few times, but there is just no way to say it enought - THANK YOU for all of your prayers and support. Our family would not have made it through August 2009 without you.

Now that things are calming down a bit, I am planning to write more frequently. Jacob is back in school, Ethan goes back to daycare on Monday, and I'll hopefully be settling into more of a steady work routine. Woohoo!

As a random ending note to this post, I figured I'd post a couple of recent pictures of Jacob and Ethan. As you'll notice, Ethan is getting chunkier by the minute, and Jacob is very much enjoying having the whole famly back at home.

Talk to you again soon!

Say Cheese!

2009-07-03T11:07:00.006-05:00

Since I haven't posted any pictures lately (mostly because I've been too lazy to sit at the computer and upload them!), I figured I'd make a posting entirely dedicated to pictures. :) Enjoy!

Just hangin' with the boys... :)

Not to sound weird - but aren't baby butts CUTE?

Daddy makes a good pillow!

Hey mom! You look funny!

What IS this thing you've stuck me in?

I have a feeling Ethan will just LOVE this picture when he's older!

Brotherly love... :)

New Digs

2009-07-01T13:33:00.002-05:00

Alicia recently mentioned to me that she was having a really hard time posting comments to my blog entries. I decided that maybe the fact I had fiddled with the HTML so much on the background might be the problem - thus the background change.

Let me know if this works better for you, Ali!

Madness 1, Method 0

2009-06-18T10:04:00.003-05:00

For the past couple of days, I've been feeling more mad than methodical. I love my kids and I enjoy taking care of them, but sometimes it feels like taking care of myself is more of an afterthought than a priority. Why, oh why, is there always so much to fit into each 24 hour period?!

I am sure there are ways that I can make my day-to-day routine more efficient, and I'm going to need to sit down and brainstorm about that before I completely lose my very last marble. If you have any tips or suggestions for easing a busy morning routine - other than getting up each day at 3:00 a.m. (ha) - I would LOVE to hear them!

Sometimes I feel like the Cat in the Hat, playing his "Up, Up, Up with a Fish" game... except I'm holding bottles, a formula cannister, a lunch sack, makeup brushes, a flat iron, bottles of medicine, a car seat and who knows what else! ;) I'm sure that one day, when I'm retired and sitting with Olivier on the front porch all day with a glass of iced tea and nothing much to do, I'll look back at this time of my life wistfully, with all of this craziness forgotten! Until then, watch out for falling fish!

Great Big World

2009-06-17T08:57:00.003-05:00

I wonder how big the world looks to a tiny guy who's just becoming aware of the things around him.....

Ethan Update

2009-06-15T11:21:00.002-05:00

Olivier and I took Ethan this morning for another check-up with his cardiologist.

Ethan has gained weight over the past month, but not at the rate the doctor feels is ideal. Dr. Day is changing up Ethan's meds in order to give him a "boost" and hopefully get him gaining a little better. Also, after listening to Ethan's murmur, the doctor feels that the hole is most likely not getting any smaller. We have scheduled another appointment for July 6th to have an echo done, at which time we'll have exact measurements to look at.

Dr. Day said that once we have the measurements from Ethan's echo, and another few weeks on the increased meds, we will most likely need to start talking about scheduling Ethan's surgery - sometime in late July or in August.

I will keep you all posted. :)

Things that Defy Logic

2009-06-11T10:43:00.002-05:00

Since my last post was all about things that ARE logical, I thought I'd share something I ran across today that defies logic altogether.

This:

And this:

Logical Conclusions, by Jacob

2009-06-11T09:30:00.003-05:00

Jacob spent a small portion of yesterday afternoon at my office, and mostly spent his time drawing "butt cracks and poop" with his best friend, Dillan. Ahhh, little boys. *sigh*

At quitting time, Jacob and I took the building's main elevator down to the first floor, walked down the long hallway toward the garage, and then pressed the 'UP' button on the elevator in the parking garage. We stepped in the elevator and Jacob pressed the button for the 5th floor, at which point this exchange took place:

Jacob: Mom, is that braille on the elevator buttons?

Me: Yes, it is. Pretty cool, huh?

Jacob: Yep, but why is it there? *incredulously* Blind people can't work!

Me: Yes, they can, silly!

Jacob: How? They can't even use a computer!

Me: Sure they can! Voice recognition software - you know, where you tell the computer what to do with your voice - and other pretty cool computer gadgets help them to use most, if not all, of the things a person who isn't blind would use. People with special needs like that can do a lot of "normal" things.

Jacob: That's pretty cool. *contemplative silence* But that still doesn't explain why there's braille in this elevator?

Me: Huh?

Jacob: Mom, this is an elevator in a parking garage.... and I'm guessing that even if blind people can work in office buildings, they probably can't drive.

Me: Oh, look - 5th floor. Let's go!

I have to admit, I laughed a little bit to myself as we walked together toward the car. Sometimes kid logic leaves you speechless. This was one of those times.

Dang Dang Dang

2009-06-10T09:47:00.002-05:00

Don't you just hate it when you screw something up at work? I do, and this morning I did! Nothing major, nothing that's going to negatively affect any particular case... but it's enough to screw up my morning!

Why do I have this sinking feeling that I should just head back to bed, sleep for 24 hours, and hope that tomorrow is a better day?

Ugh.

The Me List

2009-06-09T10:41:00.009-05:00

Here you go, Ali and Jodi! These are my 50:

1. My nickname in middle school was "Meghead". I still haven't quite figured out where that one came from.

2. Other annoying nicknames I've gotten over the years are: Mimmel, Meggie, Meg-pooh (my mom gets credit for that one), Megster, and Meg. I really just prefer plain ole Megan.

3. My the name of my first pet was Smokey, and the name of the first street I remember living on is Pecan. So, according to the popular party game, my stripper name would be "Smokey Pecan".

4. When I was 11 years old I stuck my hand into the middle of a fight between my pet hamsters. I was bitten in 3 places and still have the scars to prove it.

5. I have never been in a true fist fight.

6. My all-time favorite food is mashed potatoes.

7. When I was 9 years old I peed on myself while standing on the front porch of my house, in front of a school bus full of other kids. I needed to pee REALLLLY bad and couldn't manage to get my key in the door. Oops!

8. I attended five different schools between 1st and 5th grade.

9. The mascot of the school I went to in 3rd grade was the Dolphin. We were the Durkee Dolphins, which I always thought was way too close to the Dorky Dolphins. You have to wonder sometimes what people were thinking.

10. My best friend in 4th and 5th grade was Stephanie Williams.

11. When I was in elementary school I loved to roller skate - I could even skate backwards and sideways.

12. My first job was as a checker at K-Mart.

13. In high school my wardrobe consisted of doc martens, jeans and flannel shirts. Since graduating, I have stopped dressing like a lesbian.

14. I make my living as a family law paralegal, but my true passion is dancing. One part of that sentence is false. I'll give you one guess.

15. My first car was a brown 1988 Buick LeSabre, which my friend Justin nicknamed "Brown Gravy."

16. I first tasted beer at the age of 8, while on a fishing trip where all the grownups forgot to bring soda or water.

17. On that same fishing trip, I got a fish hook stuck in my thumb. After the painful fish hook extraction, I spent the rest of the day curled up in the backseat of my mom's car trying not to puke.

18. On another fishing trip that same year, one of my aunts got a fish's fin stuck in her foot (all the way through her hightop Reeboks!).

19. The scariest movie I have ever seen is The Ring.

20. My favorite show is Medium.

21. I have a fear of holes - more specifically, of small holes all clustered together. ICK! Just the word 'cluster' makes me nauseous!

22. When I was 16 I wrote a children's book for my little sister called "Susie's Messy Room." I still have a copy.

23. I'm pro-Jon Gosselin.

24. When I was 16 or 17, I fell backwards over a drumset at marching band practice, which just happened to be held at a football stadium. That was one long, loud and embarassing echo.

25. When I was 20 years old I moved to Utah on a whim - for a man! Although it didn't work out like I'd thought it would, I got Jacob out of the deal - and I wouldn't change a thing!

26. Spiders and all other sorts of creepy-crawlies disgust me. They're ugly and I'm always scared they're going to jump on me unexpectedly. YUCK!

27. I can't stand the sight of blood.

28. My dog was once sprayed by a skunk while only 10 or 15 feet from me. I learned that skunk smell, up close and personal, is so potent it takes your breath away. I also learned that a dog sprayed by a skunk smells like ass for MONTHS.

29. I have never broken a bone. *knocking on wood*

30. As I get older I'm becoming more and more of a germ-a-phobe. I always flush public toilets with my foot, and I never touch my hand directly to the inside door handle to public bathrooms.

31. When I was 16, I was standing at the DART bus stop waiting for the bus to take me to work (at K-Mart). A black guy pulled up and asked me if I needed a ride to work. For whatever crazy reason, I thought that the guy worked at the same store as I did. Two thigh rubs and one awkward sexual comment later, I realized that I did NOT work with this guy. That was the scariest 10 minute drive EVER. Miraculously, he did drop me at work, although I was prepared to jump out of the moving vehicle if he missed a turn. Never take rides from strangers!

32. I stole an Arizona necklace from J.C. Penney when I worked there in high school.

33. I collect elephants.

34. I love the Twilight series and all things Edward (and Jacob).

35. I could watch '13 Going on 30' a hundred times and never get tired of it.

36. I think lime green clothing looks like CRAP on me.

37. My legs have never - not even once - been tan.

38. I once threw up 2 shots of tequila and an order of fried mushrooms in a friend's kitchen sink during a party. Tequila and I haven't been friends since.

39. If I could magically zap myself into any job I'd either be a psychologist or a teacher.

40. When I was 8 years old I had two chows named Salt and Pepper. Ironically, Salt was completely black.

41. I once had a pet Cockatiel named 'Nick.' One day, Nick layed an egg. Go figure.

42. I have 5 pairs of running shoes, and I never run.

43. I think that the only thing harder than raising kids is being married.

44. I have a scar on my left knee that's from falling off a skateboard about 50 times during my 3rd grade year.

45. The only time I dance in public is when I'm drunk.

46. When I was three years old I had a nightmare that my Dad killed my Mom. I still remember every detail of the dream and the panic I felt upon waking.

47. The most horrifying thing I have ever witnessed online is '2 Girls, 1 Cup'... and I didn't even make it all the way through.

48. A lot of people have told me over the years that I should do stand up comedy, but I am and will remain too chicken to ever try.

49. A guy once asked me to wear a dog collar while watching him lip sync to Elvis songs. That was our last date.

50. I have a tendency to keep clothing items until they literally fall apart - especially socks and underwear. Upon reflection, I really have no idea why!

Now for facts 51 through 1,000.... Oh wait, I think I hear a kiddo calling me. I guess I should go see what he needs. I hope you're not too disappointed!

OUCH!

2009-06-08T14:43:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I worked out on Saturday (which consisted of about a trillion squats and lunges), and now my thighs and butt are SO SORE I can barely lower myself into a sitting position. Basically I just have to fall backward and hope that there's something behind me that breaks the fall!

Why the heck does exercising have to be so painful at times? And how the heck do you get to the point where this stuff is fun? I hear people say from time to time that they "LOOOOOVE" exercise, but I just don't get that concept.

Do you think some people will always hate to exercise, just like some people will always hate onions??????

Time Flies

2009-06-05T16:38:00.010-05:00

It's hard to believe, but today is already the last day of Jacob's 1st grade year! He is growing up so fast, and it seems like time is flying by at the speed of light. I think I'll give Jake an extra-big hug today, and tell him that he's not allowed to get any older! :)

Asian Invasion of Privacy

2009-06-05T11:16:00.002-05:00

I'm sure all of you have experienced a scenario somewhat like this:

You: Hi. I'd like to get a pedicure, please.

Asian Nail Lady: Oh ok, right dis way, please. Have seat right there.

You: Okay, thank you.

Asian Nail Lady: You want manicure, too?

You: No, that's okay. Just a pedicure today for me.

Asian Nail Lady: You sure? You never find boyfriend wit nail like dat. You nail too short. You need acrylic. I do full set only $19!

Isn't that annoying?! You come into the nail salon looking forward to a relaxing pedicure, but instead you come away feeling ridiculed and wondering if your "ugly nails" explain your lack of a sex life.

Well, today I figured out that this sort of annoying behavior also extends into the dry cleaning business, if it's run by Asians that is.

Me: Hi, I'm here to drop off a few shirts to be cleaned.

Asian Dry Cleaning Lady: Okay! Oh, let me see your baby!!!

Me: *holding Ethan's car seat up so she can see him* His name is Ethan.

Asian Dry Cleaning Lady: Oh Ethan you so cute! So are these shirts for your husband?

Me: Yes.

Asian Dry Cleaning Lady: Why he not bring them in?

Me: Well, I drive right past here on my way to drop the baby at daycare, so it's easier for me.

Asian Dry Cleaning Lady: Oh you not stay home with baby? Why not?

Me: I guess that's just the way it worked out best for our family.

Asian Dry Cleaning Lady: You must make lots of money to keep you away from baby! How much you make?

Me: *silence - I mean, what DO you say to that?*

Asian Dry Cleaning Lady: Did you find someone good to watch baby for you?

Me: Yes, I really like the lady that watches him.

Asian Dry Cleaning Lady: Oh that's good. I know it very scary to find good person to watch baby. Lots of people just shake babies like this *mimics shaking a baby* when they cry, so I am glad you have someone good.

Me: Thanks. Ummmm... can I get a receipt for the shirts?

AHHH! Okay, is there some sort of rule in Asian culture that says you are allowed to ask personal questions of every stranger you meet? How annoying!

Besties

2009-06-01T22:23:00.003-05:00

On Saturday night, Alicia and I met up at Jodi's house for a girls' night. Oh - and let's not forget Ethan. He made an appearance, too!

Jodi's homemade lasagna and garlic bread were delicious, Alicia's tossed salad with feta was yum-o (to quote Rachel Ray), and the chocolate tort that was my contribution, although not homemade, wasn't too bad either.

Every time the three of us get together we have the best time. Whether we're out on the town or hanging at home and ordering pizza, we always manage to stay entertained. Alicia and Jodi are the kind of friends that you never feel out of touch with, even when life is busy and it's sometimes weeks or even months between visits. I think friends like that are hard to find, and so I consider myself pretty lucky to have both of them!

So, here's to you girls! As a note, I call Sophia. She was always the spunkiest. ;)

Dick and Jane Meet the 21st Century

2009-06-01T21:45:00.004-05:00

I think I alluded to this in another of my posts - Fate loves to be tempted.

In my "Little Singers" blog, I wrote about a 1st grade boy that made a slight error in judgment while standing at the microphone, and I mentioned that I was very glad that I, for once, wasn't the red-cheeked parent. Apparently I should have knocked on wood, because this weekend I had one of those "wow, this is awkward" moments with Jacob. Boy, I've missed those! ;)

On Sunday afternoon, after clearing about 25 books off of my crowded shelves, Jacob and I headed up to Half-Price Books to get rid of them. If you've ever sold books at that store, you'll know that after you hand your books off to the person at the pricing desk, they ask you to wander the store for 10 to 15 minutes while they come up with an offer - which, in my experience, usually turns out to be about $0.25 per book. I'm not sure if it's worth the 15 minute wait, but I guess it IS a good way to make room on your shelves without just tossing perfectly good books in the trash, or forcing them on some poor defenseless friend or family member.

Anyhow, Jacob and I ended up wandering back to the children's section. After selecting a couple of books to entertain himself with, Jacob sat down at the kids' reading table and I sat down with him. As I was looking around and people watching (there were a number of grownups perusing the children's books), I noticed a display full of "Dick and Jane" books, which were a staple of my childhood. Since I was pretty sure Jacob had never read any of them, and since he is always so entertained by relics from my ancient past, I grabbed one of them and said, "Look, Jake! This is a book I read when I was a little kid!" Jacob took the book and began flipping through, and decided to read a passage. Here's what it sounded like:

Jacob (loudly): "See Jane run. See Spot run. See dick... - MOM! Do you know what a dick is? That's inappropriate!"

Megan (whispering): "Shush, Jacob! Keep your voice down! How do you know the word 'dick'?!"

Jacob (trying to whisper, but failing): "I don't know what it means, mom! You just told me not to say it one time, and you said it was inappropriate! And now it's in this book! That soooo wrong."

Megan (whispering): "Well sometimes it can be inappropriate. But in this book it's just someone's name."

Jacob (giggling intermittently): "Okay, I get it. See Dick run. Dick and Jane run. Spot runs to Dick. "

I guess that the alternative meaning for 'Dick' must not have been a popular term when William Gray was writing the Dick and Jane series. It's unfortunate that he didn't have a crystal ball to refer to when naming the characters. It could have saved me a lot of weird looks from the other adults in the children's book section on Sunday - particularly a grandma-looking sort that stared googly-eyed from the Winnie-the-Pooh shelf.

Then again, David and Jane just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

Exercise? What's that?!?

2009-05-26T14:42:00.005-05:00

Pregnancy and a listless attitude toward weight management have left my waistline in a form comparable to the Earth's equator... and I have decided that NOW is the time to change that! Over the last two weeks I have employed a more moderate eating plan, and have managed to lose 8 pounds just by cutting back calories.

I was PLANNING to regain my former hourglass-ish figure through healthier eating alone, as exercise is near the top of my I-Hate-To-Do-That list, and is only outranked by projectile vomiting and other similar activities. But you know what they say - If you don't think God has a sense of humor, then tell Him your plans. Last week, one of my good friends, Erica, who is a personal trainer and health guru, offered to victimize me (and Olivier) free of charge! Better yet, she offered to come to our HOME and train us there. After some thought on the subject, I agreed to take her up on the offer. After all, she was very generous in offering her time, and shouldn't I make it a goal in life to be able to run more than 30 yards without collapsing?

Saturday morning marked the first of our workouts with "Killer" Westhoff - that's the nickname her other trainees have given her. At the end of the hour-long circuit workout, as I was guzzling water, praying for death to come quickly, and pondering the accuracy of her nickname, she informed us that since this was the first workout she took it easy, but not to expect that in the future. I'm sure that if someone had snapped a photo of my facial expression at that exact moment, it would have made true the expression that a picture says a thousand words - in this case, most of them expletives.

Despite being so sore we could barely walk (which was pretty comical, at least to us), Olivier and I worked out with Erica again yesterday. Although it was just as grueling as the first workout, I definitely noticed a surge in my energy level once I had taken an hour to cool off. I am hoping that once the soreness subsides, working out will become a more enjoyable experience - or less torturous, which might be the more reasonable goal. Erica swears that she can turn me into an exercise addict. I'm not sure about THAT, but I can say that I like the results I'm seeing and feeling already, and I think Olivier feels the same way.

I'll keep you all posted on how things go with the new exercise routine. And hey, if I manage to shrink by 50% in the next year I'll have my willpower, Olivier's moral support, and Erica's words of wisdom and challenging workouts to thank. Although willpower can't be given, and I'm not open to renting out my hubby, I could see if Killer has room in her schedule for a few more victims, if you're interested. :)

Grandma Megan

2009-05-18T11:12:00.003-05:00

Do you ever feel when you're talking to people that you sound like just about the most boring person alive? I do!

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally satisfied with my life. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by being a homebody (although I AM looking forward to the days when going to a movie will be a spur-of-the-moment endeavor, and won't require a sitter fee and days of planning!). Occasionally, however, I definitely get the feeling that I've turned into a grandma - and well before my supposed Golden Years!

I have a co-worker - let's call him Leon - who ALWAYS has an exciting weekend. Each Monday, I am inevitably regaled with his attendance at a super-hip club, a sold-out concert, or a last minute weekend trip to New York. And each Monday, he inevitably asks: "So how was your weekend? What did you do?" My answer to his question, of course, is always "Well... Olivier and Jake and I played catch in the back yard. And I went to the grocery store." Woohoo! Alert the press! One of the most noteworthy events of the past two days in my life was buying Biore strips at Wal-mart?

When you have a full time job, a marriage, two kids, and all of life's other little things to worry about, weekend jaunts to New York are out of the question. I guess it's a good thing that I can find excitement in the smallest of things, and that I don't have to travel to another state or eat at an uber-expensive restaurant to feel content. Grandma Megan - that's me!

Ethan Update

2009-05-18T11:03:00.003-05:00

On Friday Ethan had his second cardiology appointment with Dr. Day, which was basically just a check up to make sure that he is doing well on the new medications and fortified formula. After undergoing an EKG and having his weight and blood pressure checked, the doctor determined that Ethan seems to be doing really well. He is gaining weight and his heart looks like it is doing as well as it possibly can under the circumstances.

Dr. Day feels that as long as Ethan is gaining well with the use of his medicines and high-calorie formula, we have a window of wait time to see if the hole will close on its own. He plans to check that with an echocardiogram in the next month or two. The most likely outcome, though, is that Ethan's weight will drop at some point, indicating that surgery needs to be scheduled, or that although his weight is stable the hole will not show any significant shrinkage, at which point the surgery will need to be performed to correct the defect and avoid problems down the road. Either way, Dr. Day feels certain that surgery is the route we'll end up taking, although he says he is "rooting for the hole to close on its own."

To sum it up, Ethan is doing very well, and whatever ends up happening regarding the need for surgery, I feel that he'll be healthy and happy in the longrun.

Bad Influence!

2009-05-12T13:38:00.002-05:00

Since my great friend, Jodi, seems to be finding all sorts of neat blogging games to play (by "stealing" from others), I figured I would follow suit and copy her! Jeez, Jodi - you're such a horrible influence!

So here's how it works:

1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birth month and day (not year).
2. List three events from that day.
3. List two important births and one death.
4. List one important holiday or observance.

Okay, here are some fabulous facts about my special day, May 5th!

Events:
1260 - Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
1821 - Emporer Napoleon I dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
1862 - Cinco de Mayo in Mexico: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla.

Births:
1818 - Karl Marx
1942 - Tammy Wynette
1989 - Chris Brown

Deaths:
1821 - Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

Holiday/Observance:
International Midwives' Day

Of course, all of the above described events are totally trumped by my entrance into the world in 1979...... hehe :)

Goodbye Twenties!

2009-05-05T21:37:00.003-05:00

As hard as it is to believe, I turned thirty today. THIRTY! A lot has happened in the last thirty years. Some bad things and a lot of good things, all of which have brought me to this point in life. When I look around and see the world I've created for myself (with some help from the Big Guy, of course), particularly my marriage and my kiddos, I find it hard to regret any of the last thirty years - even the lessons that were REALLLLY hard to learn.

This morning I awoke with the realization that time is passing by very, very quickly. Sometimes life gets so busy with work, chores, and other obligations that I forget to take time to really enjoy the most important things in my world. I realized today that I want to make my thirties count by making sure to take time to "smell the roses," as corny as that sounds. I don't want to look back at my life when I'm an old woman and wish I'd taken more time to watch my kids play, enjoy a sunset, dance with my husband, or visit with friends. After all, as I told a family member recently, I don't think I'll be wishing, while on my deathbed, that I'd spent a few more hours scrubbing toilets. :)

As far as birthdays go, this was a good one! On Saturday evening I spent time with my two bestest friends, Jodi and Alicia. Alicia cooked dinner for us (she's an amazing cook!) and we spent a few hours just talking and catching up. Each time the three of us get together, we make a plan as to what we're going to do (i.e. game night, movie night, etc.), but somehow we always just end up talking the whole night away and we never even get around to doing what we'd originally planned! I had a lot of fun with them on Saturday, and they were so sweet to surprise me with birthday cake and presents. Thanks, J and A!

My parents, work folks, Olivier and Jacob all took the time to make my birthday special as well! I got a lot of great cards this year, all of which seemed to express the perfect sentiment to match the sender. Picking the perfect card is a talent that all of my loved ones seem to possess! Thanks to all of you for making my birthday great!

I guess all that's left to say today is:

Goodbye twenties... Hello Thirties!

Thank You

2009-05-05T21:29:00.005-05:00

I wanted to post a quick "thank you" for all of the support you have all shown my family and me over the last few days. It is a huge blessing to have such wonderful friends and family, and I feel very lucky indeed to have each of you in my life.

Thank you for letting me know you care. :)

Diagnosis & Prognosis

2009-05-01T20:58:00.004-05:00

Today was one of the hardest days of my entire life. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this to you, but when Ethan was born the hospital pediatricians that checked him out mentioned offhandedly, "Ethan has a slight murmur." That's it - no big deal, right?

Then, at Ethan's 2 month appointment he was happy, healthy, alert and was gaining weight perfectly - oh, but he still has a little murmur, his pediatrician said. He gave me a sheet of paper with about 20 pediatric cardiologists on it and said that I should call one of them and have Ethan checked out "just to be safe," although he was pretty convinced the murmur was no big deal since Ethan seemed so healthy.

Today was Ethan's cardiology appointment. I was expecting them to do an echocardiogram (which is an ultrasound of your heart) and an EKG, tell us there was nothing to worry about, and then send us on our way. The testing was done just as I'd expected (my little guy was such a good sport with all the poking and prodding), and then Ethan and I were placed into a room to wait to meet with the doctor. It seemed like the doctor was taking FOREVER, and once Ethan fell asleep in my arms I pulled out the book I'm currently reading and tried to pass the time while waiting for the doctor to come and tell me there was nothing to worry about and to go home.

About 30 minutes after we first arrived in the room, the doctor and his nurse walked in. They both pulled out chairs and sat down a few feet in front of Ethan and me. Then, after the initial introductions, the doc said something to the effect of "I'm not going to beat around the bush because I know you'll appreciate me being candid. Ethan has a hole in his heart, and it is most likely going to require open heart surgery to repair it." What? I thought. What did he say? I definitely was not expecting that. After all, the pediatrician said he was sending me "just in case" and that there was "probably nothing to worry about." I guess I took "probably" to mean "definitely." I hate to sound dramatic, but after the doctor told me the general diagnosis, the following 5 seconds seemed like 5 minutes! I had so much running through my head. Mostly I was just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that my perfectly healthy little boy isn't as perfectly healthy as I thought.

The doctor had lots to tell me about his condition, which is called Ventricular Septal Defect, or "VSD". He showed me pictures of the heart and a video that more fully explained the condition. I'm not going to spout off a bunch of medical mumbo-jumbo because I have no idea what I'm talking about and would end up just copying and pasting anyway. Basically, there is a pretty sizeable hole in the lining between two of the chambers in Ethan's heart. His heart is having to work overtime to pump properly, which causes fatigue, fluid retention, poor weight gain, and other more serious problems if it's not taken care of. It was strange - once the doctor started talking about the symptoms a lot of them rang true with Ethan. Rapid breathing - check. Fatigue while feeding - check. Sweating while crying and/or feeding - check. Weight loss - check (Ethan weighed 3 ounces less today than he did 4 weeks ago). It was a pretty surreal experience, and not in a good way.

So - here's the good part. VSD is the most commonly occuring congenital heart defect there is, and consequently it's the most commonly treated. I guess a good way to put it is that if you have to have a problem with your heart, this would be the problem to have. Ethan's condition has been caught early and they're going to keep a close eye on him to make sure he stays healthy. Children's Medical Center has a great team that is going to meet with us regularly - I met them all today and it eased my mind a lot. The doctor has started Ethan on two medications - one to help his heart muscle to pump more efficiently, and another to remove fluid buildup from his body. Ethan's pediatric nutritionist has also given me different "recipes" for mixing fortified breastmilk/formula so that Ethan is getting extra calories in his diet to make up for all the energy his little heart is burning to pump inefficiently.

The doctor is going to see us again in two weeks, and we will probably see him every two weeks after that for a while. While the doctor doesn't think it's likely that the hole will close on its own, he is going to give the medicines and diet a chance to kick in so that we can reevaluate in a couple of months. The most likely outcome is that Ethan will need surgery in early July to fix the defect in his heart. The prognosis is very good. Most children that are diagnosed and treated early have no lifelong side effects and are able to live normal, healthy lives.

I feel very blessed that Ethan's condition was caught early, that it wasn't a more serious heart condition, and that there are wonderful doctors in our city that will be able to help him to get better. Although it was a traumatic 4-hour doctor appointment, and even though I'm still in shock a little over the whole thing, I have faith that our little man is going to be just fine.

Please send up a little prayer to the Big Guy for my little guy, if you don't mind.... :) Thanks everyone.

PS - Here's a pic of the little booger flirting with the nurses... hehe

Little Singers

2009-04-30T21:40:00.003-05:00

Tonight was Jacob's 1st grade music show, which featured songs and poems about animals. Jacob had a speaking part during the show's introduction, he got to play the xylophone, and he even played the part of the "Big Bad Wolf" during their song about the three little pigs!

We videotaped the entire thing, but the only still photo I took was on my phone. I apologize for the quality and promise to try to upload video soon. I am really hoping to figure that out so that I can show you all the faces Jacob was making during the performance... it was really hilarious! At times he just quit singing and would make goofy faces - not on purpose, just because he was spacing out. I swear, the kid really cracks me up at times. Olivier and I giggled a lot at the expressions on his face, but I'm thinking we kept it quiet enough that it didn't make it onto the video (crossing fingers!).

I was really proud of Jacob for how well he did, particularly with his speaking lines. A lot of the kids froze up and had to restart their poem several times, but Jacob managed to get his out the first time! I'd say the funniest part of the performance was when one of the other 1st grade boys came up to the microphone for his speaking part, and when he forgot the words one line into his poem he let out a big huge sigh and said, "Oh shit." You could hear the whole audience trying to stifle their laughter, and the look on the kid's face once he realized what he'd said was priceless. Oh how glad I was that JACOB wasn't the "oh shit" kid! I have enough stored away in my 'Jacob's most embarassing moments' file to last a lifetime as it is. :) What can I say - the kid's just got personality!

Lining Up At the Contamination Trough

2009-04-30T21:20:00.005-05:00

I have to admit, this swine flu thing is starting to freak me out a little! A lot of my worries are stemming from the fact that babies are so susceptible to serious illness as a result of the virus, and with Ethan being so new and seemingly defenseless I feel like I need to be on guard in case someone sneezes too close to him!

The swine flu issue wasn't really bothering me a whole lot until today. This afternoon I found out that Wilson Middle School here in Plano is closed down due to confirmation of a case of the flu there. There are lots of kids that go to Jacob's school that have older siblings at Wilson, so it's not too far of a leap to conclude that Jacob is at risk for being exposed to this virus. ICK!

This evening we attended a function at Jacob's school (I'll write about that more in a separate blog), and I swear it was like every clearing of a throat, every cough, every slobbery kid or nose-blowing adult stood out to me! I think I now know what a person with OCD and agoraphobia must feel like (to a much lesser extent of course)! Olivier and I had originally decided that he would stay home with Ethan and I would go to the thing at Jake's school, but when Olivier didn't get off work until 6:00 p.m. and Jake had to be there at 6:15, we didn't have much choice but to take the baby to the school. I mostly kept him in his car seat and covered with a blanket, so I'm thinking he avoided most of the germiness... but it's hard to say.

Anyway, it's not very often that I wig out about something, but this flu thing definitely has me on edge. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that it disappears as quickly as it came!

Happenstance or Hitman?

2009-04-28T11:09:00.006-05:00

Have you ever had the feeling that fate or some other cosmic force was out to get you? I don't consider myself the paranoid sort, but after two close calls in less than a week I am beginning to wonder - are these occurrences merely unfortunate coincidences, or have I pissed someone off to such an extreme that they've hired a contract assassin?

On Sunday, while driving east on Park Boulevard in Plano, a blonde woman in a black Honda Civic decided to change lanes - into MY lane, of course - and very nearly rammed into the left side of my car. I had to swerve as far to the right as I could without hitting the traffic on the other side of me (Park is a 3-lane boulevard and I was in the middle lane) just to avoid her. Luckily I managed to steer clear and (kudos to me) I didn't even shoot her the finger, or an ugly look for that matter! I merely attributed the lapse in her attention to be the product of mascara application, or newspaper reading, or texting. You know, all of the normal things one does while driving at high speeds down a highly trafficked road.

Fast forward several days. This morning as I was driving to work down Arapaho, a blonde woman (are we noticing a trend?) in a gold Taurus changed lanes - again, into MY lane. This time I was in the far right lane of a 3-lane road, so when I swerved to avoid the Taurus my right wheels actually jumped the curb and I nearly lost control of the car! Luckily (again), I managed to get back onto the road safely without hitting anyone else or the huge, looming brick wall that lines that part of Arapaho.

So now I'm wondering - has someone hired a blonde hitwoman with a taste for crappy cars to whack me?

I can almost hear it now:

"Alright, so this Megan person drank the last cup of coffee out of the pot in the breakroom, and then failed to brew another pot? Well, you've come to the right place. I take care of little problems like that. What's that? Oh, you want to make it look like an accident? Okay, I'll get to work on that right away."

Whatever the reason for the recent driving-related mishaps, I am really hoping that fate (or the person that took out the hit) will cut me a break! Would you all mind keeping your fingers crossed? THANKS! ;)

Spring Extraaaaavaganza and Trouble With the Law

2009-04-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

On Friday Jacob's elementary school held it's Spring Extravaganza (I've been pronouncing it "extraaaaaaaaavaganza" for dramatic effect), which is the school's end-of-year carnival. As all parents know, school events can sometimes be a total beating - but the extraaaaaavaganza turned out to be a lot of fun for all of us! Dickey's BBQ catered and the food was YUMMY. Jacob tried his hand at bowling and putt-putt and completely smoked the competition. There was also a dance floor set up, complete with DJ and disco ball - however, Jake couldn't seem to drum up the nerve to dance in front of all the "hot" elementary school girls. I personally avoid dancing at all costs (except under special circumstances, which is another story), so I completely understood his lack of enthusiasm on the subject!

The only minor hiccup of the night came when the nice officer overseeing the carnival crowd asked to hold Ethan - and, well, I'll just let the picture speak for itself. Obviously, even at only 12 weeks old, Ethan has developed a healthy respect for the law!

After going through about 40 tickets (at 2 tickets per game - UGH), and after getting a tattoo (which was the highlight of his evening), Jacob was ready to go home. I have to say, one of the benefits of the Friday night carnival was that the kiddos passed out immediately upon arriving home, giving Olivier and I some much needed quiet time!!!!

Here are a few other pictures from the evening...

Mission: Possible?

2009-04-24T21:38:00.000-05:00

Someone I once knew said, "You're not really a parent until you've got two." I don't believe that's true, since in the nearly seven years that Jacob existed in an only-child world I did a ton of parenting. However, I will say this - having two kids somehow manages to triple the amount of child-related work a parent has to do in any 24-hour period. I know, I know... it seems that with two little rugrats the workload should be double, not triple. But somehow, just trust me, it's tripled! Since the birth of boy number 2, Ethan, I've found that a whole new adventurous chapter of life has unfolded before me. I figure that as long as this blogging thing is catching on, I'll do what every parent inevitably finds themselves doing at some point - and that is to force as many pictures and stories about my boring daily life on the poor unsuspecting masses as is humanly possible. *evil laugh inserted here* Thank you for being my willing victim!