Meds and Parties

Yes, I owe you a post... I have been quiet since Tuesday.

The thing is, I just don't have much to say..... well, maybe I do... I've just been too tired or lazy or something to post.

Anyhow, I mentioned a week or so ago that Gak had a doctor's appointment about his depression. Well, she gave him a new (to him) medicine to try. (He hadn't been on any in about 8 years....) She told him to take 1 in the morning for the first week and then one morning and evening for two weeks and then two in the morning and one at night after that. Well, we made it through the first week. He was becoming more spacy and twitchy and touchy. I couldn't say "could you get me a glass of water please" without him taking it personally that I was either being demanding or nagging. I was having a hard time not taking this personally, but did a very good job of keeping my trap shut.

Anyhow, last night was the first evening he was supposed to take a pill. He did... and wow what a disaster. As long as I've known him he's been twitchy. His one knee goes 50 miles an hour all the time. I'm mostly used to it, but it still gets to me from time to time.... like when he's shaking hard enough to make it hard to read my monitor. Well, with the new medicine it was getting worse, not better. And last night he had to log out of the game because he was shaking too hard to be able to target things. He actually slept on the couch he was so twitchy.

We talked a bit about it in the morning, about my concerns and about how he was feeling on the medicine (no, I don't remember which one and it's in the kitchen...). He decided not to take his pill this morning. By this afternoon when he got off work he said he was feeling the best he had all week. He's got a reminder in his phone to call the doctor Monday to tell her he went off it and to see if she's got any other bright ideas. We both agree that he could use at least a little medical help. While his depression doesn't seem (to me on the outside) quite as bad as it was a few weeks ago, it's still not playing nice and letting him live his life without his own shadow over everything.

Anyhow, that's the big news of the week. The parts job, so far, is full of boring and stupid things. There's got to be a better way. Of course, I still have no idea what I'll be doing in the long run or how everything will shake out between parts and customer support. I should be having my "mid-year" review sometime in the next month or so... as soon as I set it up. I fully plan on talking with my superviser about it. I plan to go in there with and idea of how I want things to go... and see what or even if he has any ideas.

This weekend is going to be packed. Today we had a small family picnic for Kat's mom. She turns 75 on Tuesday. It was a small gathering. It was really cool because we recently tracked down one of our friends from high school, Jen. She still lives in the area and was able to make it. It was great to see her again. We had wonderful weather and a good time.

Tomorrow we have another picnic to go to. (I told you it was a busy weekend.) This time it's one for Steve. My friend is heading back over to the sandbox for his 4th tour this war (5th overall, he was there the first time we decided to play in the sand over there...) and wanted to throw his "anual" picnic before heading out. I hate that he has to go. I'll worry about him until I get to see him again. But... unfortunately... I understand why he has to go. That doesn't mean I like it, but I understand. And if he didn't go, who would?

Well, I didn't really want to end this post on that, but... I think I'm out of things to say.

Peace to all, have fun and stay safe whatever your plans are.

Edit: I looked it up and the meds were Effexor (or however that's spelled.... no I didn't bring the bottle with me...)

First Birthday!

Happy Birthday my baby Boo!  One year ago today you came into this world.  Wasn't he so tiny?!  Wasn't he so little, and doesn't Gak look so terrified?

What an amazing year it has been.  I still can't get over how far we've all come in this journey and how far is yet to go and how fast it has already gone by.  There are some things I remember with crystal clarity.  I remember the rainy trip up to the hospital.  I remember the joy of hearing him cry for the first time.  I remember coming home and not being able to move well or get much sleep the first few days.  I remember first baths, eye contact, smiles giggles and so much more.  Some of it is already beginning to fade into distant memory... was he 8 months or 9 months or maybe 10 when he got his two top teeth?  I couldn't tell you the day he started going dadadada all the time, or the day he started going mamama... but he does.  I can tell you exactly how it felt to leave him at daycare for the first time, but I can't tell you when I finally accepted it (and I have...).

Amazing.  And so many more amazing things to do and discover on this journey, for both him and us, his parents.  Just amazing.

Yesterday was a terrific day.  We had perfect weather (other than about a 20 minute sprinkle that was mostly wind and bluster...).  We had lots of friends, plenty of food (I always panic about this...) and good times.  Boo wasn't sure what to make of his cake, but he did explore it in his cautious way and did seem to enjoy it eventually.  He got lots of neat presents from all of our friends and family.

I think the most amazing part was the fact that I had both Andy and Michelle in the same place, at the same time!  This hasn't happened since my wedding.  Michelle surprised us all by calling us at about 7:30 in the morning saying she was about to get in the shower and drive up.  She might not be able to stay long, but she was coming.  I nearly cried when she said that.  (I did cry when she left... I hate not knowing when I'll see her next and her being so far away.... I miss being able to get together with her every month or so at the most.)

I have lots and lots of pictures.  I posted over 60 of them from the past two weeks up to the Flickr account.  See, there are a few of them over on the side bar.  Go, look, enjoy.  I would post more here, but Blogger isn't very fun to post multiple pictures in a post with, so you'll have to make do with only two.

Yep, this picture was taken today of my big One Year Old Baby Boy.  I can't believe how old he looks.  There are times, like when he's sleeping, that I still see that 8 lb little smidgen of a boy.  Mostly I just see a boy growing like a weed and wrapping himself tighter and tighter around my heart if that's even possible.  

I would have a good dragon picture from today, but at the time that we were ready to do them, he just wasn't having anything to do with it.  He was a bit of a cranky boy most of the day, as he played way too hard and didn't nap near enough yesterday.  That's OK.  We didn't have anything on the schedule really.  Tomorrow he's got a doctor's appointment in the morning and a photo appointment in the evening.  After this I'm thinking we'll do this once a year.  Although, it's hard to decide if it'll be birthday time or holiday time, since they're opposite on the calendar.  I'll make up my mind on that later.

Anyhow, I'm going to go enjoy some me time.  I've got a sleeping boy, a sleeping Nana and Gak is off at Warhammer.  I've got the house to myself and I think I'm going to enjoy some quiet time.

Peace to all and may your memories be more sweet than bitter and may the adventures be good and many.

Ok, Ok, so I had to post 3... (of course, I've made a mess of it twice not...) This is from yesterday.

Vacation? What Vacation?

Sorry for the silence, but it's been a busy few days around here.

I can't believe that a year ago today my due date came and went and Boo wasn't here yet.  It's amazing that it has been a year already.  So many things have changed and still many things are the same.  It's been amazing to watch this little boy turn into a "real" boy from a teeny-tiny newborn.  (Actually, he is only tiny by comparison... he was actually about average size for a newborn...)

Anyhow, tomorrow we're having his birthday party.  It's over in Memorial Park here in town.  We've got a pavilion rented and tons of people are coming.  If you're thinking about it, you really should stop by.  We'll be there most of the afternoon.  I'm looking forward to it, if only because it gives me an excuse to both show off my boy and have a picnic.  It should be lots of fun.  And yes, I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures.  I know, I know, I haven't posted any in way too long.  They're on the camera and will be downloaded soon I promise!

Technically I've been on vacation starting Thursday.  I don't have to go back to work until Thursday the 4th.  It'll be very nice to have been out of the office almost 2 full weeks!  It just won't be a very restful vacation I'm afraid.

Not only is Boo's birthday party tomorrow and his actual birthday on Monday (eep!), but his Nana is in town visiting.  She got here Thursday afternoon after some minor adventures and we've been busy ever since.

Friday while Gak was at work, Nana, Boo and I did a BJ's run to pick up some needed everyday things and some of the party things.  As usual, I didn't escape there for under $200.  Oh well.  I only bought one or two things that weren't on the list.

Today, I took Gak to work and did laundry while Nana watched the boy.  Then, Uncle Alan came over with his daughter and gave Boo his birthday present.  Unfortunately, they won't be able to make it tomorrow because Uncle Al has to work.  This is what stinks about him working 2nd shift and Tuesday through Sunday... and mandatory 10-hour days right now.  Oh well.

After Gak got off work we took a family trip over to the Q-mart.  This was to pick up the veggies for tomorrow as well as the burgers and dogs and a few other odds and ends.

The rest of the evening Boo spent half happy boy, half cranky boy.  Last week some time his 5th tooth came in.  I'm thinking that number 6 isn't too far behind with the way he's acting.  Only time will tell.  The boy actually went down for the night (almost) by 7:45.  He woke up for a few minutes around 8, but only long enough to fuss his annoyance at being awake, roll over, grab Trey and go back to sleep.  I know those wakeups.  I get them all the time.

Well, it's now almost 10:00 and I've got a very full day ahead of me.  Here's hoping it all goes well.  I'm off to bed to crash.

Peace to all and may time not fly too fast and the celebrations be good ones!

Hecitc Fourth...

This weekend was quite full and quite hectic. This picture was taken Sunday at the "Welcome Boo" party.

Friday was the Fourth. It was a calm holiday. We went down to my parents and just had an enjoyable afternoon. We went over to their gallery on the way down, so that Nana could see the business. We didn't get to go see any fireworks because it was raining. That, and it was late enough that we decided we should probably head home anyhow. We did see a few go off on our way back, which was pretty neat.

Saturday was a full day. I did laundry. Boo did very well for most of the time riding in his pouch. He really does like it there. The biggest problem, for both of us, was that it was very warm and sticky.

When we got home, I promptly stripped Boo to his diaper, changed him and powdered him and gave him lunch. I also ditched my hot, sweaty shirt in an attempt to cool off. Shortly thereafter Scott stopped by. Luckily we were in Boo's room so Scott's sensibilities weren't offended. (I didn't care, I was hot, sticky and needed to feed my son....)

Michelle and Abi also got there right as I was finishing feeding Boo. It was really great to see both of them. I hadn't seen either of them since the shower. I am still impressed that Abi came all the way down from RI just for the weekend. Abi brought me the coolest T-shirt. It's a momma dragon feeding a knight in armor to her baby. It's really cute. Oh, and parts of it glow! Michelle brought up all kinds of neat stuff, the best being the quilt that she made Boo. Of course, I haven't had a chance to get a picture of it, so you'll just have to wait. It's very bright and colorful and has dragons on it! It's so great, and I'm sure he'll get plenty of great use out of it.

After the girls got here, and snuggled the boy for a few, we went and got lunch at Red Robin. We also made a quick Target run before heading over to Kat's to help get stuff set up for Sunday's party. I wasn't much help because I had a boy strapped to me. There was a bit of scrubbing and moving of chairs and tables. Scott and Gak also created a horseshoe pit and did a beer run.

Sunday's party was quite fun. Mom made these fabulous cupcakes instead of a cake. Can you tell she had a bit of fun with it?

As you can see, Boo got lots of snuggle time with lots of people. There were more, but you'll have to go over to the Flickr to see them. Unfortunately, Abi had to go home Sunday morning because her back was bothering her so much, she could hardly move. We really missed her, but it was more important that she make it home safely. And also, being the bad Momma that I am, I didn't get any pictures of all her snuggle time with the boy on Saturday. I really do have to remember to take more pictures. (Of course, Boo's so cute... it's hard not to take pictures of him when I'm thinking about it...)

It was a long day. We probably stayed about an hour or so longer than we should have. It was hard getting Boo settled for the night, but once he did, he slept for about 5 hours. That was nice for me and Gak. It was really good to see everyone. Not everyone showed up who we thought would, but it was a good group that did show up. It was nice and low key. The weather was perfect. It didn't get too hot and it was nice and dry. The sun even came out for a bit.

Oh, and Boo is official. Just over a week ago now, we got his birth certificate from the state! So, according to them, we now have a son. (We'd known this for a while...) He's also official with the U.S. Social Security office. I think it was just under a week after we got the birth certificate, we got Boo's Social Security card. I wasn't expecting that until after I returned to work. For once, things actually moved quickly.

Anyhow, I'd better wrap this up soon. I think Boo's going to wake up soon hungry. He's had a bit of a fussy day, but I don't blame him. It was a full weekend and a long day yesterday. He was over tired by the end of it all and so now, all is not quite right in his little world and he's not quite sure what to do about it. I'll live with fussy for a day or so. He was great through the entire weekend and we all had fun.

Peace to all and may your holiday have been filled with family and fun and may good days lay ahead.