Dear Universe, I would just like a TINY break

Yes. My sister just called.

It's Cancer.

They tested 9 other lymph nodes and so far they were all negative, which is good news.

So now she sees the endocrinologist and oncologist next week to decide where we go from here.

So yeah...now my Father, my Mother and my sister have all been diagnosed with cancer.

What an end to a freaking week.

ON the plus side, Casey tested negative for RSV, which MAY be the tiny break I am asking for and I just don't realize it.

So yeah.

A Day in the Life of Sick Casey & Stressed Mama

I believe this week's theme was SOFT for
Photo Hunt

It took me nearly all week to get it up but here it is.

I can't think of anything softer than this little hand when it reaches for mine or when it reaches out to touch my face.

So here is my SOFT

Now let's move on to my "day off" (yeah right).

It started off innocent enough considering I hadn't slept....

This is relatively happy Casey having not been awake that long she was watching a Baby Genius DVD. So I asked her to "Kiss the baby" and she did.

Within 15 minutes her fever was up and she looked very "loopy"

Then hours later and doctors and tests and prescriptions and

it's time for her breathing treatments. You can see by the

sequence below she was less than thrilled with me.

GOD DARN YOU WOMAN, I SAID STOP!

Then she relaxes a little because I promised a snack.

OK ALL DONE!

We then do a quick wardrobe change and present

said snack (behold the "NO Pudge" ice cream I mentioned yesterday)

She seems pretty content.

Even content enough to share with her brother.

Then of course the high chair meltdown and again

all we want to do is cuddle so Dad seems like a

good choice for that since I've been with Mama

ALL DAY LONG.

Tornado Thursday

Well let's see.

Got into the ped at 12:15, which usually means more like 1pm but surprisingly they got us in and out by 1:15pm.

It really was a disaster. I love my doctor but the communication in that office sucks. Apparently the doctor wanted Casey to get a 2nd round of RSV shots this year. She told the nurse that handles that to contact our insurance company and get it checked out to see if they would pay for them. She never did that. What does this mean? This means Casey should have been getting shots MONTHLY since October during this flu season in order to possibly prevent EXACTLY what she has now.

They put her on her nebulizer 3 times a day for 10 days to help her breathing. I also had to take her to the hospital to have her nose and throat swabbed for RSV and strep. Depending on how those come back she'll either have to be admitted to treat the RSV or she'll get put on 2 more meds to help get her better. *Mom votes for NO hospital please.

In the meantime I get a call from Kyle's teacher that he was a little argumentative yesterday. Really? My son? I don't believe it. Could it have anything to do with the fact that we're waiting to hear whether his aunt has CANCER or not? Maybe the fact that he has had interrupted sleep all week just like Mom and Dad so he's a little overtired. How about the fact that you sent home list of his grades and it's NO wonder he was confuse about this test? MOST of this test covers 5 worksheets HE NEVER SAW while we were on vacation. YOU were supposed to provide that to him. How is he supposed to test on material he hasn't even read yet? Good question. So I'll be dealing with her again today.

Then of course there is the work issue. It's 7:40. I've been here an hour. My boss has been here 40 minutes and he's usually already come out 3 times to talk me...today..not once. Now I did hear him on the phone about a meeting from Tues that doesn't sound like it went stellar but still. Missing another day of work when your boss is already a crab=not good. So we'll see if I'm treated like the red-headed stepchild all damn day.

Moving on...we still haven't heard from Kelly's doctor, which means more than likely we won't. Not til tomorrow at her appointment to have her stitches taken out. So another sleepless night for me.

Oh yes..and of course even though we know what's wrong with Casey doesn't mean POOF she's all better. She was up and down ALL night...I slept from 9:30 til midnight. Was up til 2:30 and then slept from 2:30 til 4:30. From there Jeff took over and I'm sure it wasn't good.

Maybe next week will be better.

Wednesday Woes

Today I'm blogging from home rather than being non-productive at work. (Actually I usually type my blog entries at home on word and then just post them from work with HIGH speed vs. my crappy dial up at home. I can't wait to have high speed once we move)

So today, I'm not feeling all that great. Mostly because Casey has NOT been herself since oh...last Friday. She spiked a fever on Saturday. Sunday she was whiny. Monday she was clingy and whiny. Tuesday she was just irritated. Last night..she passed out on her little nap pad thingy during Wheel of Fortune which means sometime between 6:30 and 7pm...when her normal bedtime is 8pm. By 8 she was WIDE awake..and FUSS-y.

She hasn't had much of an appetite, which is very unlike her. She didn't eat much last night for dinner. Actually the only thing she was remotely interested in was a "No Pudge" (1pt on WW) Strawberry ice cream bar. Since she saw my putting them in the freezer. Being the Mother of the Year, I gave it to her. She promptly began sharing it with her brother..but not prompt enough because that stuff melts FAST. So I put her in the high chair. She ate about 1/2 of it and then proceeded to let it melt on the tray while she whined and cried and asked for her nuk and baba....ALL NIGHT LONG (and not the fun Lionel Richie All Night Long kinda way let me tell you).

She was up and down again ALL NIGHT LONG and I have no idea what her deal is. Her cheeks are completely flushed all the time, she's got a fairly wet cough. She's got no appetite. She's run a fever on and off for 5 days. Maybe an upper respiratory infection, maybe the start of an ear infection. Maybe a slight case of RSV, which would freak me the hell out.

Anyway, here I am AGAIN at home. For my 4th day off of this very short month (but only 3 that I took because one was my "flex" day off) maybe my boss will get ticked and "let me go" with the severance package I've been dreaming of since they started cutting back last November.

The only sleep I've had was basically from 2:30am til 4:30 when all 24 lbs of her passed out sleeping on top of my chest on the couch. Then a call into my boss and a dose of cough medicine and she passed out again from 5:15 til 7am. Since then I've attempted yogurt, a banana, cereal from MY bowl (which usually works), oatmeal, an apple and even "fruit snacks". What has she eaten? Uh..nothing. She's had a small sippy cup of apple juice but that's it. After not eating last night..I'm not hopeful.

So the doctor's office switchboard opens at 9:30. At that time, she'll be dressed and ready to go, I'll be dressed and ready to go and the ped will say "Can you come at 2pm?" and I'll cry. If I sat here in my PJs and called at 9:30 she'd tell me to come RIGHT in. Murphy's law.

If you've stuck with all my own whining and dribble this far either A) you're really bored or B) you really do like hearing about my life..and this one was pretty non-funny. I just have no energy to spin any humor really.

I hope to be back to work tomorrow...so we'll see how I feel then.

What are my chances of a "come right in" and I'm back home with some sort of medicine by noon so I can attempt to feed her again and then get a nap?

Yeah, I know..pigs aren't flying outside me window.

Tuesday Tribulations

I know I mentioned last week that the day of my sister’s surgery was just all out craziness.

Nothing was crazier than the ride home.

See because we were waiting SO long to see my sister, the dinner hour came and went without anyone having anything. So when I left the hospital at almost 9pm, I was hungry. With little between the hospital and the highway, what’s a girl to do? Two Words for ya, FAST FOOD. I drove through the land of over 1 BILLION served and grabbed something disgustingly greasy from the dollar menu and a coke.

As I driving and am nearly more than half way home so about 30 minutes I notice a car come flying up on my right hand side and then “float” is the only way to put it between the left lane and the middle lane behind me. I’m in the middle lane so I just keep a close eye on it. A few seconds later the car is beside me again just keeping pace with me. It’s then I realize it is an Illinois State Trooper. Another minute later the car slows down and drops behind me in my lane. Whatever. Fine. I had seen so many cars pulled over during the first half of my ride I slowed down. I was hovering right around 60mph. I was not about to get a ticket and was doing 60 LONG before this guy drops into my lane.

About a ½ mile down the road his lights go on. “He can’t possibly be pulling ME over, what did I do?” I pull over nonetheless. I lean over and roll down the window on the passenger side. “Hello Miss, we pulled you over tonight because you weren’t wearing your seat belt?”

“What? *pulling on it because I can only lean over so far to that side of the car* Sure I am, I never drive without it.”

“Oh you are? Well let me go back and check with my partner to be sure he didn’t see you JUST put it on as I was walking to your vehicle.”

*he walks away and I’m ready to just jump out of my skin*

Upon walking back up does he say he’s SORRY that he was wrong..no he says:
“Ok Ma am, well do you have your license and insurance card.”

“Here is my license but I do not have my insurance card with me. I took it to work to fax to our house insurance agent and I left it at work and I wasn’t at work today but I have the last 3. I’ve had that carrier since 2001.”

“Let me run this.” Again he walks away.

He walks back up and says “Here you are, let me check some things out.”

He then goes to the front of my car to be sure both my headlights are working I assume…or making sure my license plates match. Walks to the back of my car, looks at my plate and then walks back to the window.

Maybe assuming if I got to talking I would SOUND drunk…I don’t know but he asks:

“So where were you coming from? You’re an awfully long way from home.”

Now he acts as though I’m 100 miles from home. I’m 20 minutes from my house.

“Uh, I was at Edwards Hospital in Naperville. My sister had surgery there today at 2 and I’m just now getting home.”

“I see, I see. WHICH WAY did you come from Naperville?”

Maybe thinking I’m lying about where I came from..clearly I’m lost because I didn’t pass through a crack neighborhood or anything.

“Uh let’s see, I came out of the parking lot and turned right onto Washington St, from Washington I went left onto 75th street, then I went to a side street to go to McDonald’s. From there I went BACK to 75th street and got on 355 East to 55 North to 294 South and here I am. In 20 minutes I’ll get off at Torrence Ave. North and be home in another ¼ mile.”

CLEARLY I’m pissed and my passive-aggressive answer is pissing off Mr. State Trooper.

“Well do you realize your license tag expires on Wed?”

“I’m sorry is it March 1st already? I was unaware. Yes, I have the new sticker at HOME on the top of my fridge. I was going to put it on---on Sat..yes..Sat. would be the 24th correct?”

“Well that’s good. Now just watch your speed and be careful merging back into traffic.”

Here are just some other random ramblings:

• Today is now DAY 2 of not being able to hear out my right ear.
• I have come to the decision that all movies must have a real plot. I have rented a few of those movies where they are nothing more than character studies. I just get to the end of the movie and I’m irritated. My life is too complicated so I like “tidy endings”. I don’t like when movies just E-N-D. I watched one for 2 hours last night and when it was over, I wanted my 2 hours back.
• I have to find an unknown amount of yardage for upholstery fabric to make new cushion covers for the couch I am getting from my Mom. Why? You ask. Because my Mother lets the dog stay in the living room and the dog chewed holes in both bills and a third on the big chair.
• I’ve restarted my weight watchers and I’m grumpy from lack of being able to eat whatever I damn well please.
• Lastly, diamondstripperprincess is still the high bidder on that lamp I want but her only feedback is 2 negative comments. So my evil hope is that she bails out on the lamp and the seller contacts me for my last high bid OR it gets relisted.

How sad is it that diamondstripperprincess is still bugging me on Tuesday?

Edited at 3:10pm CST

What's HYSTERICALLY funny about the cop harassment? This was like uber "nerdy" cop dude. The one that watched COPS on TV way too much and decided it didn't matter that he was a big geek and weighed about a BUCK-O-FIVE soaking wet, if they gave him a gun and a badge he'd be one of the cool kids.

Seriously, he might have been 5 foot 5 inches, 150lbs so if I'd had to get out of the car I would have been able to kick this guy's ass into next year considering I'm 5 inches taller than him and outweigh him by at least 100 lbs.

So truthfully I was more annoyed than harassed by it all cuz it was so damn laughable.

Monday Madness

Has everyone lost their damn minds?

Oh..you say you never had one...or haven't had it in a long time...I get that. I live that.

My lovely friend, That Chick tells me I'm more sane than I give myself credit for. Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder about HER sanity since she said that. (No really she's a fairly sane person)

Moving on to the thing to start off my day. Actually it came from last night. Casey REFUSED and I do mean refused to behave. It took Jeff and I almost 4 hours to watch one movie.

She then refused to go to bed. Nothing I tried worked. None of my tried and true tricks got this child to even lie down and be quiet. It's been a long time since she's been high maintenance like that and I was too tired to argue..so the child ended up sleeping with me most of the night. This caused me to have a very rough morning since I was so exhausted.

Move on to my crappy downstairs neighbors that are BLARING rap music at 5am. Yes, 5am. When I didn't in turn continue with the madness and call my landlord at 5am but waited til a decent hour like 9am...his words to me "Well I can't do anything about it NOW, you should have called me then." For what exactly? For you to tell me to take a flying leap? No thanks.

Then I got to work and checked my email. I lost an ebay auction over the weekend but not because I didn't check the computer. Because I refused to pay more than $20 for an ACRYLIC butterfly lamp.

Ending price? $42.50 for an ACRYLIC lamp plus $5 in shipping. Now that tips the scales entirely too close to $50 for my liking. The only reason I was willing to go to $20-$22 for this thing was that it was the ONLY one like it out there.

This morning...I got so excited when I found another listing for one just like it. High bid right was $6.50, shipping is $5.40. I put in a max bid of $15.50 for the thing and immediately get an outbid notice.

It should just serve me right. When you get a notice and you check the bidding list and the profile name of the person that outbid you for a CHILD'S LAMP is named

diamondstripperprincess

Be afraid of what the rest of the week is going to show to you. Be very afraid.