Diagnosis

Hello to all! Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, e-mails, phone calls, etc! Obviously, I made it through the surgery. I do have endometriosis. It was growing on my ovaries and my doctor lasered it off or whatever they do. He told Rhett that statistically we should get pregnant in 4 to 6 months. But so far, we've not met any other statistic he's given us. So, we'll see. I just pray it happens before the endo grows back. And I have to say (Praise the Lord!) I am relieved to have a diagnosis. I guess that sounds ridiculous and I know deep down that the doctor finding nothing would have been preferable. But having a diagnosis after 2 yrs and 9 months of struggle gives me more understanding. Like, "Oh, this is why we've been infertile." It's easier to deal with then going through rounds and rounds of tests and them finding nothing. And I know disease exists because sin exists so it just makes it easier to swallow for some reason.

For those of you who might go through this sometime, I have three incisions. One of them is right in my belly button. It creeps me out. Another is very low, which they gave me a shave while I was out. Now, that's embarrassing. I really hope it was a female nurse and did everyone just stand around and watch or what? Did they make comments about how ugly my stretch marks looked after they blew up my belly with gas? Heck, did I pass gas while knocked out? And I can't even say, Oh, I'll never see them again because it was the exact same place I had surgery last year for something else and I definitely had one nurse remember me from that. Anyway, the absolute worst part was that gas they blow you up with. I guess it floats around to other parts of your body and can cause "mild to moderate pain." Ha! Every time I stood or sat up, all the gas floated up to my right shoulder and it was mind-blinding, crushing, drop-to-the-floor pain and that was while taking Mepergan. Luckily, you can relieve the pain by laying flat on your back. So, I did that. For two days. But now I can get up and I'm just a little achy and sore in the abdomen area and I'm having a grand ol' time on my pain pills. But ol' BFG is back home so I've got to go straight again.

Off to pop my pill,
Mama Said

Aaaaack! Surgery!!!

So, this laparoscopy thing is on Friday. It’s to check and see if I have endometriosis. And it’s probably our last step in the whole infertility thing. I guess I would probably do IUI, but so far there have been no problems so I don’t think that would really help. So, I’m nervous. Not really about the surgery. I know any time your put under it’s risky, but I just have faith that I’ll be fine. And face it, if I’m not, I’ll be dancing in Heaven anyway. I’m more nervous about the results of this diagnostic surgery. I feel like This is it. It’s do or die. We are going to know something. Ya’ll, please pray for me that I can handle the results whatever they may be. Every scenario I run through my head seems like it will be hard. On one hand, it’s relieving to think I’ll finally have a diagnosis and a reason why this has been happening. But on the other hand, what if the diagnosis leaves no hope? Or, what if they find nothing? That would be awesome I know, but it makes the last 2.5+ years sooo much harder to understand. I know God’s ways are better than my ways and He has grand plans for us. But sometimes it’s hard to bring your emotions in line with what the head knows. Anyway, I don’t even know what to hope for out of this surgery. So, I’m just praying that I can handle whatever God’s will is in this.
Thanks, Sweeties!
Mama Said

Missing In Action

Whew! Alot has been going on lately and keeping me away from my 'puter. I've been trying to reinstate a couple of things back into my crazy life since I'm almost at a point with the house where I am stopping for the winter. I'm trying to get back into doing coupons to restock. My dad gave me loads of back issue coupons and I've been cutting my little heart out. I'm also trying to start up my Stampin' Up! classes again. I had my first class this past Saturday. My first one in over a year. It was fun, but it seriously is sooo much work.

Let's see . . . Oh, my neck/shoulder muscle is just on the absolute fritz since I painted the dining room. So, I spent last week strung out on muscle relaxers trying my best to get it well. It's not and I've had to quit the muscle relaxers in preparation for my laparoscopy.

Laparoscopy? Yup, on Friday. I'll go into that more on another post. But I'm scrambling trying to get things prepared for the family to run without me for a few days. You know, food that can be nuked and served. I'd like to eat during my recovery. And some things for me, library books, washing the sheets, making sure a decent pair of und*es is clean for Fri. and stuff. I absolutely hate sheets with crumbs and refuse to lay in them for 3 days straight and ya'll know how it goes with me and doctors. I've got to make sure everything is tip-top since I will probably be in some cringingly embarrassing situation.

What else . . .Oh, took BFG for her first official dental cleaning! She did great! She was perfect! And her teeth were perfect, which is really weird considering how often we forget to brush her teeth and all that candy she eats every day. But still, it was a good I'm-doing-something-right-as-a-mother day! Of course, MY teeth that I brush twice a day without fail were not so perfect. I'm the one with the cavity! How did that happen? And I mentioned how my front teeth hurt (all of them) because I'm pretty sure I'm clenching my jaw and pressing my bottom teeth into them. But, no. They do a whole head scan x-ray thingy (I'm sure that will be cheap!) and said my sinus cavity is cloudy and I might have a sinus polyp. Who? What? Are you kidding me? I have the weirdest stuff to happen to my twiddle-aged body. Sigh.

I guess that's about it. TTFN!
Mama Said

Wonderings

I wonder . . .

Is it bad when your 3 yr. old daughter's play consists of Barbies hurtling through the house in their truck with BFG screaming, "We have to HURRY! We are late for CHURCH!"? I'm still trying to figure out where she got that. ;)

Is it really a compliment when your DH tells you that you are more attractive than ever because you look older and weigh more? The ironic part is he was sincerely complimenting me. Bless his bones!

Is it terrible to be 30 yrs. old and have no clue how to spell "complement" esp. when you are counting on spell check to tell you but at the last minute you realize that there are two words "complement" and "compliment" (at least you think so) and you have no idea which one is which and have forgotten any lil' ol' sing-song rule you may have learned to 20 yrs ago to help you know the difference?

Mama Said, Spell Check Diva

The Things Kids Say

Since this blog is a log of memories for me to look back on, I wanted to jot down a few things BFG has said lately that I think are cute and I know full well within a few weeks I will have completely forgotten them because my 2 functioning brain cells will have moved on to something else.

• BFG said that when she is a grown up, she is going to have lots to buy at the grocery and is going to shop at the grocery all night long just like me. Hmmm . . . Note to self: Try to get home before bedtime when grocery shopping.
• The three of us went out for pizza one night and were sitting in the booth and BFG looks up at me and says, "Is this a meet?" Me: "What? A meet?" BFG: "No . . . a date! Is this a date?" Me: "I guess it sort of is like a family date." She spent the rest of the time putting her arm around me and saying, "I'm just putting my arm around you because I love you."
• BFG: "Mom, when I grow up and my hair turns brown, I can't like Cinderella anymore. I have to like Belle. Curly Sue (her cousin/BFF) told me." Me trying to assure her: "Honey, you know you can still like Cinderella when your hair is brown." BFG: "NO, Mom! That is your thoughts. Not my thoughts. I don't want your thoughts. It was Curly Sue's thoughts and she told it to me and now it's MY thoughts and I don't want your thoughts." Where the heck did this come from? I didn't even know she knew what a thought was.

Keeping my thoughts to myself,

Mama Said

BFG's Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Blue Room

Aaaah . . . BFG's blue room finally! She picked the paint color. It just had to be Cinderella-blue. The actual name of the paint color is Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Blue. Isn't that so cute? And it was the perfect color. Maybe BFG has somehow inherited a decorating-gene that's missing from my DNA. LOL! I'm not totally finished with the nick-knacks and stuff. But I waiting to get some shelves out of storage. Check out the porcelain dolls on her chest-of-drawers. Are they creepy or what? They are all gifts from my parents . . . well, we'll just say--They're there and leave it at that.

One of my favorite things is how BFG's closet turned out. It has no door, but has that awesome cut-out wood at the top. Hey, in the 100+ yr old house, we're just grateful she has a closet at all. I found a shower curtain that just makes the perfect door and I painted her name "Princess ******" and a crown over the top. Totally easy to do. I found the font I wanted on the computer, printed it out huge, rubbed pencil all over the back, placed the paper, and drew over the letter which left a pencil imprint on the wall. It works like a transfer. Then I painted on top with acrylic paint and outlined it with a silver paint pen.

The wall clings and wall-cling border were the biggest hit for BFG. I found the big set of wall clings clearanced out a Target a long time ago for like $5 at the most, which is a steal if you've ever priced these things. I found the border at a friend's yard sale for $2.50.

Here's her dress up area that I was oh-so-proud of until she actually started using it and now it's a big messy heap. But still very functional. I'm gonna get a full length mirror for the back of her door, which will make this even more fun.

The beauty of an old, old house are all the nooks and crannies. This space behind the door was perfect for the highly functional, yet unpleasant-to-look-at milk crates. You don't even notice them when you walk into her room.

This room just makes me happy!

Mama Said

Too Many Paint Fumes

I finally just finished painting the dining area today. Now, this was a project I started on Sat. morning and thought I would finish on Sunday afternoon. Uh, wrong again. I do this with every stinkin' project I start. I am crazy! Or by this point, I've inhaled way too many paint fumes. I seriously wonder if my brain functionality has lessened since we moved into this ol' house. For example, Rhett and I were watching the special on PBS on President Reagen Monday night. They were showing clips from some kind of arms control rally or something.

Me: Wow! What does the people holding two fingers in the air mean?

Rhett: Peace.

Me: Oh, yeah.

Ya'll, I had totally forgotten what the peace sign was! I had been sitting there thinking about the Nixon sign (which I probably have that wrong too) and trying to figure out if just doing it with one hand was for Reagen or something.

Do you think our wedding vows covered him having to stay with me even if I become really stupid over the course of our marriage?Like through the smart times and the dumb times? Gee, I hope so!

So, not only has this paint job been loooong and killed brain cells, I fell off a chair and got hurt, too. Oh, come on. You knew something had to happen to me. Somehow as I was applying yet another coat on the trim by the ceiling, I stepped down backward and my foot coming down landed halfway on top of the paint can (Lid on. Praise the Lord!). I guess I had already started bringing down my other foot before my fume-altered brain cells could let me know the placement of the first foot was NOT going to work out. So, somehow I retracted my first foot back up in the air which threw my body sideways into the gas wall heater (Off. Again, praise the Lord!). In turn, this made me catch my entire body weight on the inner edge of my shin as my shin slid down the front of the grate of the heater. I did manage to keep hold of the cup of paint and paint brush on my way down which is a good thing. I just have a swollen, bruised shin that aches with every step and the jar of the fall has made every other bone and muscle in my body ache. Other than that I'm okay.

Seriously taking a break from painting for the month,
Mama Said