More Illness

The girls have strep.  All this illness is killing me.  Seriously.  It's amazing that I still have a job.  Or, sanity for that matter.  It's also amazing that my kids haven't been consumed by the TV.  I don't even pretend that we're "limiting tv" on days like today.  Have at it, kiddos.  Now I'm annoyed that they can't operate the remote.  I'm quickly reversing on that choice and Shelagh is in universal remote training mode.  If only we hadn't put the DVD player 6 feet high.  We may have to reverse that choice as well.

They are watching an old hand-me-down DVD of Heathcliff.  Or "heat-clip" as Kelly calls it.

Juice, medicine, TV.  Juice, medicine, TV.  Juice, medicine, TV.

Operation Don't Embarass Yourself in a Bathing Suit

A few weeks ago I went into the Gap to buy a pair of jeans. I undressed in the dressing room, horrifield myself looking in the mirror, re-dressed, and abandoned ship. I ran out of there faster than ever. How can I buy anything new until this muffin top is dealt with???? Terrible moment. I have 2-3 months to pull my shit together before summer time/pool time. Plus, I really need some new clothes and just can't pull the trigger until I'm buying the size I want to be. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do but it needs to be drastic I think. I don't have the stomach to starve myself or workout obsessively. Oh well...a nice stomach bug might help!!

Seriously, though, in the last week I have stopped eating chocolate and ice cream, except for the few bites of cheesecake the other night. No more chocolate stash at work (this is huge - it's where I usually binge). Slight reduction in bread products and butter. Incorporated more chicken/fish in meal planning. Hmmm...okay that's it. Obviously I need to do much more such as reducing pasta, adding in a weekend workout day, making sure my workouts actually make me sweat. Why can't I just lose the extra lb's unknowlingly without any work like after Kelly was born???? If only I could nurse someone and let my body do all the work without me knowing. Damn!

Day 4 of Puke-Fest

Is it bad that I'm

• stir crazy and bored out of my mind
• annoyed with my kids for saying "my stomach hurts/my bum hurts" a million times in a row for 4 days in a row
• tired of wiping diarrhea butt and smelling puke whereever I go
• wishing I had taught the kids how to use the clicker
• desperate for a nap
• looking forward to my double-babysitter weekend (fingers crossed that I actually get a babysitter for Friday at this point), even though I don't usually like to do that - we happen to have an event on Friday and a big friend gathering on Saturday so it can't be helped.

And so are the Days of Our Lives...

By the way, I did have a lot of sympathy for all the kids...I'm not totally heartless. After 4 days on the couch, not sleeping, and dealing with body fluids I'm just a little frazzled :)

UPDATE: Not 2 minutes after hitting save on this post did Kelly projectile vomit, Exorcism-style all over the place including me. Karma. Now I've added bath, floor mopping, and laundry to my list for the day. Serves me right.

Operation Ferber Kelly - Day 2

Joe and I went out last night to our Supper Club. We got into bed around 1 and by 230ish I was still tossing and turning. Finally, I got completely sick for a good 1/2 hour. Definitely felt like a quick stomach bug. Ugh...I really hope the kids don't get it. The clock said 3 the last time I looked. I did feel better afterwards, but then at 4:36am, Miss Kelly decided to start her little fit. I decided I wasn't going to go in at all this time hoping she'd cry for less time. No can do. At 5:15, Rory got up to pee and then came to bed with us...it's was questionable as to whether he'd go back to bed at all since she was still wailing away. At 5: 47 I finally gave up and decided to go give her some water. She gulped it down like no tomorrow. She fussed for awhile and cried when I put her back down and rubbed her back a bit. At 6:03 she did fall back to sleep and thank goodness so did Joe, Rory and I until 730. I was just about to have Joe just get up with her...At 6 I feel it's tough to ignore her, but after almost an hour and a half of crying I knew she'd have to have exhausted herself. 87 minutes. Brutal.

Bruised & Old Part 2

Oh, platform bed. Why do you jut out so? Why do you continue to torture me with massive grapefruit-sized bruises and lumps from the inevitable collision with my leg at least once every few months? I suppose having my bed right in front of the door doesn't help matters, but it is what it is.

In addition to the growth the bed caused, which lies conveniently near my 2 spots of broken blood vessels I attribute with love to Kelly and my ginormous baby belly, both my knees have been totally sore for the last couple of weeks. They are fine when I'm walking normally, but any deep knee bends (which I thought were the smart choice to preserve my back when holding a baby) or stairs and they are both achy. Joe keeps telling me to ice them, but alas, that is work. Hey, wait! I have a new ice maker so I won't have to stare at the empty ice trays for days afterwards b/c I'm too lazy to fill them and then put them underneath the frozen ones.

Crows feet, sore back, sore knees, bruises, broken blood vessels and varicose veins. I'm seriously falling apart. On a positive note, pregnancy and breastfeeding hormones do wonders for my hair and nails.

Old

I bought anti-wrinkle cream today. Partly, I did this b/c it was on the 60% off rack and I love a good bargain coupled with the enjoyment I get from buying just about anything. Partly, I did this b/c I've developed crazy crows feet and have been thinking about probably having to motivate in this area for some time now. I don't look old, I don't think. Actually, I'm usually told I look not old enough to have kids. Wrinkles + baby face = Weird female Benjamin Button thing going for me. Not cool.

I Know it's Only Been 2 Weeks, but...

I cannot believe what my body looks like after baby #3. I went to Old Navy today and tried on a skirt & top only to throw up in my mouth. I swear I picked something I thought fell into the category of "soft dressing" or, in other words, poufy and billowy and not framing any mid-body part closely. No help. I don't know what's worse...the jelly belly or the monstrous chest region with the senior citizen mongo nursing bra. I put everything back. And just polished off a half pint of Ben & Jerrys Oatmeal Cookie ice cream. Vile.

Update: I bought one of those tummy binders. Nothing like a tight and uncomfortable corset-girdle thing to make me nauseated, literally.

Long, Sick Week & More to Go

As soon as my dental issue started to clear up, Shelagh came down with a super high temperature and what turned into a week-long unexplained virus. She was up every night for an hour or longer multiple times with 103+ at night and totally lethargic during the day. She really had no other symptoms other than an upset stomach too. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink much, barely would do the popsicle thing, and still wouldn't nap (although on her worst day she did pass out on the sofa which might have been a first for her). They tested her for everything and all came back negative, thankfully. By Friday/Saturday, she was totally back to normal.

Just in time for Rory to get it this weekend as I was sort of expecting in the back of my mind. I was just hoping he'd cross over with her a bit and not have us go through this 2 full weeks in a row. His temp hit 104.5 last night and I almost freaked out. It came down and I'm home with him today. He seems to be a bit of a better patient, drinking lots of fluids, still eating, happy to rest in bed or on the couch, watching Cars for the 100th time, etc. Our family Xmas celebration with my family is this weekend and I'm hoping he clears his bout by Thursday so we can head out as planned.

By the way, I couldn't be more STIR CRAZY! Between me being sick, Shelagh, Thanksgiving, and now Rory, I've been at home for most of the last 9 days and I'm going INSANE! I actually really want to go to work just to get out and change the scenery!

Dental Hell

I try to be really good about getting my teeth cleaned. I don't have dental insurance for the first time since college; but, b/c I'm pregnant, I decided to go anyway at the 6 month mark since you tend to be more susceptible to infections and your gums are more sensitive. BIG MISTAKE! I went yesterday AM and for the rest of the day my gums were sore, but not more than usual for after a cleaning. By night, the whole left side of my face was throbbing and I finally broke down and took a Tylenol. Nothing. By midnight I wasn't sleeping and took another. Nothing. I knew I wouldn't sleep. By 1am I gave up and sat down with a heating pad on my face in front of the TV. I made it to 520am before calling the dentists emergency line, to no avail. Why the hell have an emergency line if no one is going to call you back??? I guess I'm spoiled by my pediatrician who calls back in like 2 minutes. I got through when they opened and ended up with a diagnosis of "infection" (which can't be proven b/c I can't have an X-ray). Antibiotics and Tylenol w/ Codeine. I hate to take them, but I had to today and am trying to muscle through with Oragel until bed when I'll take another. I'm so spent today...dying for a nap.

$200 Orthodontist and Sushi Lunch

I have had braces twice now in my life. Once from ages 11 to 13 (along with glasses and a bad feather cut made for tough times in Jr High) and again from ages 33 to 34. It was tough being an adult with braces (who also looks younger anyway). At one point I had Shelagh who was almost 1 1/2, I was fully pregnant with Rory, my rings didn't fit by then, I had a too-short bob like hairdo and I had the braces. Looking back on it, these two time periods probably rank highest as my really tough stages in the looks department. Thankfully, all that is over now and the hair has grown out again, the braces are off and I have a semblance of my old shape back (altered permenantly from childbirth of course).

I have these permanant wires behind my front top and bottom teeth to keep them in place (and to counter my not wearing my retainers every night. You'd think I'd learn after the 1st time...). The glue on one side of the bottom one popped off last week when I ate a super chewy granola bar. I couldn't get an appointment until today and when the wire started cutting up my tongue, I ripped it out with a pair of scissors. Not as painful or bad as it sounds, but I did have to do it at work in the bathroom. Anyhoo...it has been more than a year since my braces came off and the wires went on and now it's the a la carte menu for services. I said "$200 for a little wire? Are you kidding?". He was not kidding and told me I didn't have to have it put back on if I didn't want to, but after spending a fortune in second-time-around braces and the humiliation of wearing them as an adult, I wasn't about to throw away all that work.

I drowned myself in sorrow by getting Sushi from this place next to the ortho that I love, but Joe does not like so much. We can't get Sushi take-out from them b/c of that, so I try to get it now and then on work days for lunch. It was heavenly...Salmon Nigiri, Yellow Tail & Scallion Maki and Wonton Soup. Oh yeah...best part is that they serve part Japanese and part Chinese. How great is that????? 2 truffles left after the one I just ate.