If I use the finest drill bit can I just drill holes in my face like Donald Duck??

So I had sinus surgery (and my tonsils removed) in the fall of 2008.  I had been having chronic sinus infections since I was a teen.  (Originally blamed on allergies to pine.... which I've been tested for... I'm not allergic to pine.) 

The summer of 2009 I was worried the sinus thing hadn't worked because I was getting headaches and odd feelings in my head.  Turns out it happened every time I got in the car.  The car with air conditioning.  I was, essentially, giving myself an ice cream headache by running cold air over sinuses that hadn't seen air flow in about 20 years.  The doc had warned me it would take about 18 months for them to heal.

Fast-forward to a few weeks ago.  I felt kinda bad but not terrible.  I was having some headaches but didn't think much about it.  I spent so many years just living with daily headaches that it didn't occur to me that it wasn't normal. 

Then I stopped and listened to my body.

And I realized I had a sinus infection.  So I got a z-pac.  I felt better for a few days.  Then I felt worse... much worse.  So now I'm on another round of drugs, fingers crossed, hoping to feel better in a few days.

I'm so proud of myself for not just soldiering through.  I'm so proud of myself for going to the doctor.  It's a tiny victory to actually do something for myself.

I'm so pleased with this little bit of self-help momentum.... I'm seriously considering scheduling myself for a haircut... wouldn't that be the ultimate in self-care luxury????

House Update Early May

We got the bid back from the contractor.

We are over budget.

WAY over budget.

And I pretty much picked bottom of the line stuff... so there isn't a lot of cutting room.  And there will be other costs we aren't yet aware of because we are tying an old house into a new addition and you just never know what you will find.

So we are rethinking our options.

At first I was very sad.  So very sad. 

But I moved on the wistful.

And then resignation set in.

Then determination.

And alternate planning.

It's just how I work.

So I started planning some other things... like making some changes in the existing house to make it more pleasant and easier to live in. 

Like new flooring.

And better storage.

And finish painting.

And on and on.

And I was ok with it.

And Hot was not. 

He wants to go forward with it. 

So we've discussed cutting options and how to get the budget down. 

I think he wants the space but I also think he wants me to have something to make me happy.  Which is sweet and I appreciate that he realizes I often put myself last but, honestly, I think tossing about half of our possessions and simplifying our life would make me just as happy.

And now we are at a cross-roads.

And I don't know what we are going to do.

I feel like it will be fine either way but this is a big decision in our lives.... at least right now.

So for now I plan to return all the samples I've been hauling around in my car and just go into a thoughtful mode on the whole thing.

Put it out to the Universe (as my mother-in-law would say) and see what happens. 

I am the Walrus.

Or, rather, Bugsy is the walrus.... the snot walrus that is.

You know.

When they sneeze and magically have two tusks under their nose?  Ew.

I'm blaming it on some combination of a cold, teething and shots.  Seems reasonable.  She's happy... just boogery.  Well, let me rephrase that.... she's happy as long as you aren't trying to wipe her nose. 

That makes her a very angry humming bird.  Very angry.  She shoots dark darts with her eyes.

She's at that point... she knows what she wants.  And she squeals if she doesn't get it.  Ask her brother what happens if you take a toy from her... she yells.

Electrical

Last meeting.... took about 30 minutes.

The highlights: 

1.  Undercabinet lighting and outlets
2.  Light over the tub in the bathroom
3.  Ceiling fan in the bedroom
4.  Where the heck do I put the dining room light fixture?
5.  Lots of outlets in the pantry

Hot was there for this meeting so he could talk to the electrician about the electrical in our out buildings.  These boys went to high school together so it was a good time. 

Next steps:  Flooring guy will measure existing living room for bid on Tuesday evening.  I will get the cabinet samples sometime soon so I can make a final decision.  Oh... and I'm planning to go see some model homes to get ideas.  Then the builder puts together the bid and we finalize that part.  It might be painful.

Plumbing

Meeting number four (lordy I'm getting tired.... and I've only been at this meeting stuff for a week now) was with the plumber.

We went basic, basic, basic.  My only upgrades are:  a sprayer on the laundry room sink ($40), a 36" tub ($150), maybe a stainless faucet in the kitchen and a slightly cooler shaped pedestal sink in the powder room.  The bathroom faucets are Eva.  The kitchen faucet will be Aberdeen... I think.  Stainless two-tub sink in the kitchen.  Super basic.  One meeting to go.

Appliances

Meeting number three was for appliances.

We are going for the black/silver theme.  The black fridge and white washer/dryer will stay.  New dishwasher and over-the-range microwave (since both of these appliances have up and died on us in the last six weeks.... fate... she speaks.)  The cheapest electric oven I could find..... darn, huh?  I wanted to upgrade but I keep banging my head on the budget.  It will just have to be a great excuse for not cooking.  Elle votes for a fancy microwave that is a convection oven but I kinda had my heart set on a conduction range.... which is only several thousand dollars over my price point.

Flooring

Meeting Number Two was with the flooring guy.

We went with a Mannington laminate wood looking thing for the kitchen and dining room.  Right now I'm saying "Burlwood" but that might change depending on the cabinets.

Resista carpet (in Ship Wreck) for the bedroom and stairs and, hopefully, to redo the living room and other bedroom.  I don't even like carpet but this stuff is soft.

Vinyl for the laundry room, powder room and master bath.  Revolutions... something.  Undecided on the pattern.

Also I learned you can have a chunk of carpet bound for $1.25/ft.  So about $55 for a 10x12 rug (plus cost of carpet of course)... that's a darn good deal... and they had some really cute carpet patterns.

Cabinets

Meeting Number One was with the cabinet dude.  The kitchen layout is, interestingly, EXACTLY like my mom's kitchen.  This pleases her to no end since she designed her own kitchen.  My kitchen is a little shorter and a little narrower and my island is a bit bigger and I have a pantry.... other than that.... same.

I narrowed it to four choices.  I want to-the-ceiling cabinets if we can afford it.

1. mastercraft san pedro alder cabinet doors  What finish?
2. aristokraft avalon maple doors What finish?
3. aristokraft winstead maple doors What finish?
4. aristokraft hickory pioneer doors What finish?

Builder Meeting Number 5,476

Doing an addition is like being pregnant.  You know you should slow down, relax and enjoy the ride because you aren't going to get to do it again.  But.... 

So I met with the builder to pick up the basement plans and get a copy of the upstairs revisions.  All went well and Sweet loved playing with the toys at his office.

He gave me five people to meet with to pick stuff out and get bids going.

I thought about trying to schedule times when Hot could be there as well.  Then I remembered two things. 

1.  Hot is color blind.
2.  Hot just took a new job.

So I scheduled times around my work hours and asap.  Game on.

Cadbury Easter Creme Eggs

I don't like the grass that comes with Easter baskets.  I don't like it.  It wraps up in the vacuum.  It tangles in the trees.  The dog shreds it.  The cats drag it everywhere.  The baby eats it.  I find it in random places for weeks and weeks.

Basket grass defined my weekend.  Holy Cadbury Easter Creme Eggs, Batman.... it was completely sureal.

It was.... beyond words.  The ham was delicious.  (Although the fact that we had ham because the turkey was still frozen on Saturday morning sort of defines the weekend as well.....)  The kids ended in a sugar coma.  The Easter Bunny brought us a movie about a princess and a frog and we watched it last night.

There was no blood shed in the immediate family but my in-laws were working hard to put the FUN in dysfunctional.  It was a tense and uncomfortable weekend.  Made even more intricate by the fact that I was there for a lot of it with my kids but without my hubby.  Let's face it.... no matter how long you have been married you are still the visiting team for family battles.  No home court advantages here.

All Sunday night Hot kept launching, from nowhere into, "But can you believe.... and end with .... ok, I don't want to talk about it anymore...."  And a bit later he would start again.... it was like watching a car wreck as you slowly drive by.... we couldn't stop analyzing it.

But I didn't say anything stupid and my sweetheart didn't say anything stupid so I'd say we came out of it ok.  Some folks will be sulky, some embarrassed.  No matter.  It is family.  It is what we do.

Miss Clairol

Soooooo......

I'm at an "event" last night.  And I hear, "Love your hair.... who does your highlights??"

My highlights?  Well..... my kids.  Since my "highlights" are actually grey streaks....

Still.... one foxy going-grey chick.

Happy 9 month Birthday To ME

3rd Meeting with the Builder

March 22, 2010

Off we go to his office for the big design reveal.

I like it.

We made a few tiny tweaks... like putting a tub/shower combo in the master bath and making a smaller single sink in there. I love the walk-in shower but..... if we don't have the budget to finish out the bathroom in the basement we will have NO TUB. All the little ones CAN shower but they like the tub. Also.... if I want a nice relaxing bath do I really want to (in 10-15 years) go down into stinky teenage land to do it? No. I want to be in my clean and relaxing master bath with an aromatherapy candle and a glass of red and my husband in the next room sprinkling rose petals on the bed.

Also.... closet space for the mud room. He's re-working things to build a closet into the stair-header space with a door behind the mud room door. Does that make any sense?

So, to explain the scan....

1. On the left is the outline of the part of the house that will remain. The outline is the house itself and the porch. The addition will line up with the existing opening between the kitchen and living room.

2. The door will be in the mudroom between the built-in bench and the utility sink. (There are no exterior doors or windows in this rendering for some reason...)

3. There will also be an exterior door (budget-willing) directly into the basement... for messy people and extra storage of outdoor gear. (A lot like how my mom's house works.... shitty boots go in the downstairs door and guests go in the mid-level door.)

4. The pantry is 5.5x5ft. Heaven.

5. The bedroom (for those of you in the know) is about a foot smaller than mom and dad's at the farm.

6. The dining space is about the same dimention as the current living room space (if you include the under-the-stairs space) so we can swap those areas if we want.... I'm thinking it would be nice to have the living area closer to the kitchen and to buffer the three bedrooms from the noise of the tv. (Although seeing those little jammie-clad bodies lined up like logs on the stairs sneaking tv viewing is kinda cute...) So that is something else.

7. The closets strike me as insanely large but I can console myself by storing all the table linens and the vacuum cleaner in there. And the little one has already been dubbed "The Man Cave" and will be Hot's primary storage spot. I look forward to closing that door. Also... those hallway doors will NOT be mirrored.... let us just be clear on that (shuddering... remembering the apartment at CamelToe Hump.....)

8. I fear I've already filled the pantry. I just keep thinking of more and more things to store in there. Of course an entire shelf will be dedicated to pet treats.

9. Thinking of asking about changing the shape of the island. More on that later. Also maybe a central vac.

10. Still planning some sort of retro-fit heating system so the baseboards in the remaining house will go away. The giant walled in chimney/cookstove/dead body will remain. Much sadness. But at least maybe the demo will allow us to see what it looks like... could be a cool brick wall feature or something. Curious minds want to know. Also wonder what is under kitchen flooring. Hoping for good wood under living room (existing) that we can keep.... but that's all for later.

Next up is the basement design (He's designing it even though we can't afford to finish it now). Then will come the picking of the stuff and the packing of demo rooms.

Builder Meeting Number Two

March 3, 2010

The builder met us at our house to do rough measurements. This, of course, meant we had to clean up our house a bit. But not too much.... I don't want to mislead them as to what kind of people we are, right?

There was much, "Huh, what do you suppose they did THIS for?" and "I wonder what THIS is..." discussion.

But they got the rough measurements. We found out the septic will probably be $7-8K. And demo anywhere from $10-15K. We can lower the price by getting rid of a lot of the stuff ourselves. A lot of it is based on the weight they have to haul to the dump. So we will be having a salvage party.

He will work on a design next.

Oh, and Hot wrote the first check. $2500 for designing the space and blueprints and whatnot.... half of that fee goes into the materials budget if we use him as a builder.

Builder Meeting Number One

February 22nd (the day of the infamous ER trip) was important for another reason that kinda got lost in the craziness.

We met with a builder.

We met to discuss remodeling our house. Well, really, we met to discuss leveling half of our house and, basically, building another small house alongside it and attaching them. (I know, I know.... jokes about just pulling a trailer house in there and taking off the wheels are perfectly acceptable....)

In January we talked about our goals and decided 2010 would be the year of the house. We'd do our research and either add on or let go of the dream. The basic driving force being.... our kids are little and we can enjoy it now....

So Hot talked to some friends who were having a house built and I called their builder. We set up a meeting for Monday, the 22nd of February.

So, here is what we learned:

1. Until two years or so ago he didn't build houses under $500,000. For the last 18 months he hasn't build one over $250,000.
2. He has an engineering background and graduated from MSU.
3. A few years ago a modest house was $150/sq ft. Now it is $75. He thinks he can do ours for around $100.

Here is what we decided:

1. We both like him and his process. We should do more research into other builders but, without plunking down a lot of money for design and bid stuff we can't really get more than a gut reaction to them anyway so, we're going for it.
2. The septic system needs to be re-done. We already knew this but it will be an additional cost. Also, we don't know what demolition will cost.
3. So this is meeting number 1. The next meeting will be for him to do rough measurements of our house and then start designing the addition.

The ER Update

The boys spent the rest of last week at home. They watched FIVE movies in one day. That has got to be some sort of record. I also have it on good authority they may have watched some movies that were not "child appropriate" during the week. But we will let the boys have their secrets, won't we? (Except each of them, independently, ratted themself out to me.) What is wrong with a little "Young Guns" and "Transformers" anyway? Heck, we let all three kids watch Harry Potter on tv last week..... and Tuff loves the Medusa-faced guy in "Pirates" so what the hell....

Friday morning I walked into the clinic, smiled at the volunteer on duty and sort of waved the pee cup I was carrying at her. She tipped her head and grinned back. I dropped the cup at the lab... taking a moment to notice how stylish and great-looking both of the lab attendants are.

Hot took Sweet to the doc that afternoon. He gets to wean off the steroids by early next week and has to do a pee test and bp check every Friday for the next two months.... then every month.... then every other month.... for a year.

Let's just stop a moment and say a big fat "amen" for health insurance. I may not love my job but I have health insurance.

Much love going out to my staff for getting him "Up" and a "Where's Waldo?" for get well, to his daycare provider for the balloons and m&m's, and to Hot's co-workers for making him able to be home all week.

Also to several really great docs and nurses at the hospital..... wow.

Do NOT google "swollen knes and red spots on shins -children."

Do NOT google "swollen knes and red spots on shins -children."

Just don't do it.

Then go to the ER.

Let's back up a bit, shall we?

Wait... first let's fast foward.... everything is fine.

Ok... now back.

Friday afternoon Sweet Boy was complaining of sore knees and sore feet. I, of course, assumed his snow boots were small and he'd fallen on his knees while playing on the snow peak in the yard. That night I felt his arches and they were spongy and painful. I worried a little but secretly just planned to hit the big weekend clearance sale at a local sporting goods store.

Saturday he had no complaints and was his usual bouncy goofy self. I measured his foot in his boots and they fit. (Size 2 by the by.... he IS a laborador puppy.)

Sunday afternoon he started going up and down the stairs like a seal because it hurt to bend his knees. Then he wanted to put his face in his bowl to eat his dinner because it hurt to bend his elbows. By Sunday night he was piled up on the couch with icebags on his knees. It hurt to touch below his knees (And I'm wondering if a 5-year-old can get Osgood-Schlatter's??). We tested the faker-factor by poking and prodding him after he fell asleep. He winced a lot. Suddenly I realize his knees are the size of oranges and I can't see his knee caps. I worry outloud and plan to make a doc appt the next day.

Monday morning he is fine. Bouncy. But I notice a few tiny red dots on his shins. Hot drops him off at school and talks to his teacher and asks her to keep an eye on him and call if anything changes.

Monday after school he is sore so he snuggles up on the couch. When I try to get him up at 4:30 to go to Nana's he can't put on his shoes and almosts cries when he walks. But Hot and I had somewhere to be at 5:30 so he got tought and went to Nana's couch. We picked him up a little before 8 and his ankles were now huge and looking bruised in spots. We loaded him up and headed for the ER.

The ER.

There were very few people there but we still sat for over 4 hours in a little room. H0t had to carry Sweet to the bathroom and hold him because he couldn't walk or stand. The adrenaline wore off and I was tired and realizing I hadn't eaten since lunch. Sweet was a champ. He didn't cry during the IV (and watched... just like I do). He was polite and calm. The ER doc said it looked like an autoimmune disease, maybe RA, but that wasn't his specialty and we needed to talk to the pediatrician first. The pediatrician said it probably wasn't RA. Then she came back and said he tested positive for mono.

WTF?

Mono?

Who has he been kissing? And, since it is an antibody test he's had it for a week at least. I review the history of the last few weeks... the doctor visit for Bugsy, the doc visits for all of us, the sore throat.....

Turns out he probably has Henoch-Schonlein-Purpura. An autoimmune reaction to an infection. And we have to keep an eye on his kidneys.

He got admitted and got some good steroids. By then I realized Hot was not leaving his side and there was no point for Bugsy and I to stay all night so we went home and took care of the critters. Tuff stayed at Nana and Papa's and in the morning I took both girls to daycare and went back to the hospital.

By the time I got there the pediatrician had been by and said his heart murmur was much better and the swelling was going down. He could walk to the bathroom.

He was playing with a game boy.

So we read and did a bit of work on the computer. Later in the day our regular doc came by and talked with us about what was going on and said he'd rather Sweet recover at home so we got discharged.

Sweet rode out of the peds wing in a little red wagon pulled by a college football player/nursing student wearing purple scrubs.

We picked up the girls and hit McD's for a celebration. Then home for the kids to watch movies and me to veg out watching the Olympics and cleaning up the house for the delivery of the dishwasher today and nervousness about my mom's surgery today. Hot went to Parent-Teacher conferences and then went to bed about 7:30.

Sweet has a doc appt on Friday for follow up and Hot is home with him today trying to keep him simmered down and resting.

And all is well.

SEVEN.

Bugsy 7 months

Dear Bugsy-

You've been in this world more than seven months now.... so what do you think?

You love to clap your hands and smile.

You just figured out if you turn your head way around in the car seat you can see mama. Every time I look back big dark eyes are looking at me.

Target-brand diapers do not agree with you. What I saved in diapers I paid in Oxyclean and Shout.

You love food. You love apricots and applesauce and prunes. Peas make you have a full body shudder (you are daddy's girl). You love anything your siblings are eating. You do not like the texture of mashed up bananas. (Don't worry... I don't either.) You like holding the spoon and feeding yourself. Avocados and sweet potatoes are fun.

You like to drink out of my water glass.

You crawl. Sort of. For someone who doesn't really crawl you sure do get across the living room quickly. I think you are a snow frog. I have to get it on video.... words don't do it justice.

You like to style your hair like a kewpie-doll. Then everyone spends all their time trying to smoosh it down and you have to fluff it up again.

You are long and lean. 40th percentile for weight.... 90th for height. As of right now you are weighing in at 16lbs, 5oz.

You love the exer-saucer. You like to bouncy-bounce in it. And you have discovered the "I'll throw it on the floor and watch you pick it up" game. You love it.

Your favorite toys are the black & white ring, the tab book, the pink fuzzy dog blanket and the pink/brown fuzzy ball.

You've just started to show interest in a pacifier. You've never really used one up until now. But you like it for nap time and car rides.

Nap time. You aren't much of a napper but you sleep really well at night. Still in the co-sleeper and, lets be real, often snuggled into mama's arm pit.

You love to watch your brother and sister. LOVE IT. And they are quite happy to dance around and entertain you.

You are the sock Houdini. Shoes and socks do not stay on those little monkey toes of yours.

You make the most serious face in the world and then you announce, "Dah. Dah, dah, dah." But it comes out all baritone and ferocious. I think it is from imitating your sister when she sings opera baritone.

You love it when your dad waves to you. Even if he isn't going anywhere....

I love you baby girl.

Dude.