local celebrities

Mom and I were in the Beaufort Gazette today. The online version is nice, but you should see the print. Full page spread. Huge picture of us.

It was awesome ... I'm getting out the pen and I'm ready to sign autographs ;)

xoxo

nostalgia

He's going to be three on Tuesday. My Allen. Can you believe it? I cannot. As I rocked him this afternoon before his nap, I looked at his one-year picture collage over his bed. It is unbelievable how much he's grown and how much he's learned.

For instance ... here's a conversation we had the other night while I was rocking and snuggling him before bed:
Mom: (sniffs ... I was still stuffy from the surgery. It was before the packing was removed.)
Allen: You have a boogie?
Mom: No. It's OK.
Allen: If you need to get a tissue and byow your nose and come back, it's OK.
Mom: I'm OK, thank you.
Allen: OK ... I'm just sayin' though ....

And another night when we were sitting in bed, he all of a sudden said, "You OK, Mommy?" just to make sure I was alright.

Then there was Friday night when he spent the night with Nana and Papa. They got ready to turn off the TV.
Allen: No, you can't turn off the TV. It makes me sick.
Nana & Papa: (laugh)
Allen: It's no joke!

Right now we're having a "sleepover." He's in bed with me, and we're watching (as Allen calls it) Bebby Hills Chihuahua. Every once in a while he reaches over and plays with my hair. And checks on me. Such a sweet boy. I'm not sure how we ended up with such a great kid, but I know that Brian and I are so grateful that we have the privilege of being his parents.

xoxo,

Post-party jumble

I apologize for the lack of posting of late, and for the lack of photos in this post. It's been a whirlwind kind of month ....

The "balloons," as I like to call them, were "popped" last Thursday (hence the post-party title). Brian and I arrived at the surgery center bright and early at 6:30 a.m (Allen was home with MomMom). Usually I'm only awake that early with a cup of coffee in hand, but alas I was unable to drink (or eat) so I had to wake up with my Dr. Bronners body wash.

I was quickly taken back and "gotten ready." After some reassuring comments by the anesthesiologist (it'll feel like you got hit in the face by a baseball bat) and some great relaxation drugs by the CRNA, I was wheeled back to the OR (after a kiss from Brian, of course).

I remember being moved onto the operating table and some questions from the CRNA. He asked where I'd rather be than there. Oddly enough, my first reaction was that I didn't want to be anywhere else because I knew this surgery meant that I got a free pass to sleep for the next few days. But instead, I told him Maui, Hawaii. Sad, isn't it, that I was worried even then about what they would think of me if I said that. Anyway, the next thing I knew, Brian was next to me asking me how I was.

The pain was bad when I woke up, but the drugs were great, so the pain was momentary. I was greeted at home by Allen and MomMom (and no power) and quickly retreated upstairs to rest (Allen snuggled for awhile and then went back downstairs. I think he was a little freaked out by me, especially with the lovely gauze taped underneath my nose).

The next two days were spent with me sleeping most of the time and eating some soup when I felt awake enough. I even got on the computer and posted on Facebook (I'm addicted). Then, on Saturday afternoon, after talking with my most wonderful friend J, I puked. And that was the way I spent the rest of the weekend. Apparently, my body doesn't like Loratab, and once the anti-nausea medication they gave me from the surgery completely wore off, my stomach made it known that the Loratab was unwelcome. So we switched to Tylenol (I couldn't take Advil or any other painkillers because they all contain aspirin, which is a blood thinner). No offense to the makers of Tylenol, but it sucks. I does NOTHING for my pain. It was like taking sugar pills. So I called the doctor and they got me an anti-nausea pill to take so that I could take the Loratab (thanks to my sweet L for being here and picking it up for me).

Evidently, that wasn't a solution either. I had a horrible reaction to the anti-nausea medication, and after several hours of excruciating stomach pain and vomiting, I finally went to sleep with only Tylenol to make a dull impact on the pain. It's not that the pain was unbearable, but it was bad enough that I couldn't watch TV, read, move around, or even sleep very well.

Tuesday morning I woke up a different person. There was no pain. Seriously, none. I got up with Allen, got dressed, and came downstairs. When L came down a short time later, she was shocked. She said it was like all of a sudden I was back. And I did feel like a different person. I felt good!

I got my packing out Wednesday, and the doctor told me I'd get an "ice cream headache" for a little while. And so, though I wake up each day feeling great, I have had a few evenings since that were pretty painful. The Tylenol does seem to been helping with this pain, as is the nasal irrigation I do at least twice a day. And tonight I'm actually doing OK. So I think I'm officially on the mend.

There is so much I have to share with you ... potty training stories (including how my surgery affected Allen's progress), dinner at the new restaurant here, but I've been so tired and drained that I just haven't had the energy. Stay tuned though. I will be sharing over the next few days.

xoxo,

Cutest fish ever

So, I was at the salon last week when my hairdresser got a phone call from her deployed husband that was "very important." Once she got off the phone, I asked her if everything was OK. Everyone was alright; but she had committed to doing a wedding on Saturday and her husband was calling to tell her that the childcare facility on base was going to be closed (Labor Day weekend). She was panicking because all of her back-ups were away or working on Saturday, and she had no one to watch her 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

I kindly offered to help out ... Brian could watch them! I was going to be at the shop Saturday, but didn't see any reason why Brian wouldn't jump at the chance to watch three kids (who would say no to that?). My hairdresser visibly relaxed, and then proceeded to give me pertinent details about the kids and to thank me profusely (ahh, I get all the gratitude and none of the work).

As we talked, she mentioned that she had an old costume that was her son's that she thought would fit Allen this year (of course she was referring to Halloween. I was just thinking how cute Allen would look in the costume). She brought the costume over on Saturday when she dropped off the kids. We tried it on that evening ....


I decided to try it on as well, but I think I just looked scary ...

Here's a video of Allen "swimming" and shaking his tail ...

Isn't he the cutest fish you've ever seen??

Câlins

Last Saturday, the three of us had a lovely dinner at Bistro Patois right here in the Habersham Marketplace. It's a yummy little restaurant, and it really makes one feel like she's in a little bistro in Paris (well, at least I think it does. I've never actually been to a bistro in Paris. Or to Paris at all). Anyway, adding to the ambience is the delightful French music playing.

Being that Allen's movie of the week was Ratatouille, we had all been hearing French music quite a bit. So as we sat in the little bistro, Allen piped up, and said, "It's the Ratatouille movie!" Such a smarty pants!!

After dinner, we went home to watch Ratatouille again. Allen and I snuggled together on the couch (the title of the post is the French word for snuggling). Here are some shots of the two of us ...
Notice the arm continues to move in front of my face ...

xoxo,