Happy Birthday Abby!

Today is Abby's 8th birthday and I can't believe she's that old already! These last 8 years have just FLOWN by. We actually started celebrating her birthday today at about 1am. Since she was born about that time, we thought it was fitting - though it did happen by chance. As Adam and I were headed to bed (yes, around 1am), Abby was getting up to go to the bathroom. We decided to let her open one present on her way back to bed. She was surprised and excited - it was a fun little twist that I hope she'll remember. Who knows - maybe it'll become a tradition!

She came home from school with great stories of friends wishing her a happy birthday and how his class made her a birthday book. She wore her new Hannah Montana shirt (1am present) to school and got an "It's My Birthday" sticker from her teacher to wear all day. She said it was a GREAT day. She actually spent some time cleaning her room (we'll be hosting a sleepover party on Friday - need some MAJOR prep for such an event!) while I baked her birthday cake. Abby got to choose where we went for dinner tonight and she chose... China One! No surprise - it's her favorite. Grandma and Adam met us there and Jacob and Abby ate their weight in shrimp. It was actually a little disturbing. haha. They topped it off with some ice cream before we headed home to open presents, sing Happy Birthday and eat some cake.

Adam and I got her a cowgirl outfit for her American Girl doll, some Hannah Montana stamps, and a pillow and sleeping bag for her American Girl doll. Jacob gave her his Jesse doll (from Toy Story) since he's "getting too old for it", and Grandma gave her a shirt and sweatshirt from American Girl (Abby sized), some A.G. books, and an electric blanket. She plans to wear the new shirt and sweatshirt to school tomorrow - she LOVES them - in fact, she put them on immediately.

Abby, you are such an amazing girl! I often marvel at the gift the God has given me in you. You are so much more than I knew to ask for and I will be eternally grateful that He chose me to be your mom. You are wild and free-spirited, spunky, bubbly and just plain happy and excited about life in general. I could and should learn A LOT from you! You are also kind and loving, a CUDDLER, and a good friend. This last year has brought some challenges, but you have learned so much and we learn more about you everyday. You are an amazing student - an excellent reader, and you excel at math. Your teacher says that you have a passion for life that brightens her classroom - so you see, we aren't the only ones who appreciate that about you! This year you did a lot of fun, new, and even amazing things. The thing that stands out in my head is that you decided you were going to read your bible. The WHOLE bible. You've already made it several books into the Old Testament - but the most amazing thing is that you're really remembering what you're reading and you're able to tell me about the stories you've learned. It may not be this year or next, but I have no doubt that you'll earn that Wii yet! ;)

You've also taken ice skating lessons again, graduated the 1st grade, visited the ocean for the first time, went to Summer Camp for the first time at Spring Hill (the same camp I went to!), took our annual family vacation Up North - with Allison & Rachel this time (their first camping trip), took swimming lessons again (made it to level 4), spent some fabulous days at Papa's lake with your very BFF's (and mine), played fall soccer, started 2nd grade with your new favorite teachers (Mrs. Lestinsky and Miss Dean), participated in your 2nd grade musical with a speaking part, and dressed as a Mummy for Halloween. But I think the highlight of your 8th year of life for me was when you chose to be baptized. It was such an amazing moment and I've never been more proud of you. I pray that your dad and I will continue to guide you, with His help, as you take your next steps into a relationship with Christ.

You are loved, baby girl. Happy birthday. Let's slow it down now, ok? You're moving too fast...

Halloween 2008

We walked the McMullen's neighborhood again this year, after an overwhelming unanimous vote by the kids. It helps that a LOT more of their friends from school live in that neighborhood. All of the group photos are on the McMullen's camera, but I snapped these with my iphone...
Jacob was Indiana Jones this year, and he looked AWESOME. I think he could have been dirtier, but we ran out of time for such details. He did have a cap gun, a whip, a brown satchel and THE HAT, though, so he certainly looked authentic enough (huge thanks to Mom and Katie for all the props for this outfit!).

Abby was a mummy, which isn't a difficult costume to put together - however, it's a somewhat difficult costume to KEEP together. By the end of the night she had strings of gauze trailing behind her for several yards. Pretty funny. She was the only mummy we saw all night! Allison was a pirate, Rachel was a leopard, Ty was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Carter was a knight and Mo was a bumble bee. They were all SO cute!!

These are our jack-o-lanterns for this year. Mine is the top left, Abby's is top right (with 3 different designs - ghost on one side, and two different faces on the others), Adam's is bottom right, and Jacob and I collaborated on the bottom right (Pherb).

It was a BEAUTIFUL evening for trick-or-treating and for walking the neighborhood with friends. Can't remember the last time it was so nice, or that we stayed DRY the whole time.

Afterward, our family headed over to mom's for dinner with her, Katie and Steve's girls. Steve (or should I say Magnum P.I.) was headed out the door. Had a delicious meal and some yummy Halloween cake - thanks mom!!

A few things...

that I forgot yesterday:

• Murphy is still with us and will be 12 years old on Thanksgiving weekend! That's REALLY old for a german shepherd!
• Jacob is now on the kids' drama team at GCC and a fairly regular participant in medias. He's quite a little actor!
• We're on Fall Break this weekend and spending a very lazy few days together. Needless to say, I'm ready for bedtime right now!!
• Adam and I will celebrate our FIFTEENTH wedding anniversary in a little more than 6 months. WOW.
• Christmas is exactly 8 weeks away.
  

3 months later...

I've gotten a few not-so-subtle hints from some friends and family lately that it's time to update the blog, so here I am.

So what's new?? Hmmm. Let's see...

• Anyone else ready for the election to be over already?
• The kids had their parent/teacher conferences this week and we've learned that they're both geniuses and destined for greatness. So in other words, no surprises there.
• Halloween is this week and we'll have a little Mummy and a mini Indiana Jones.
• Jacob is now in 4th grade (how is that possible?!?). Abby is in 2nd and in the same class as her BFF Allison.
• Adam is still working away at GCC and loves his team - Mike, Jonathan, Doc, Frank, Mike R and Stephanie, along with a host of volunteers all make it possible for Adam and I to actually see each other occasionally and for us to spend time together as a family.
• I still work at Pages In Time. Nuff said.
• Summer's officially over. We had our first snow this week! The kids were thrilled. I was not. I'm ready for Adam to decide to which southern location we'll be retiring. With his new hobby, it will like be somewhere near water...
• Adam's new hobby is SCUBA. Adam has worked diligently for many years to support my scrapbooking hobby. I guess now it's my turn to step up and getting a REAL job to support his. Any leads out there on anything in the 6-figure range??
• I read the Twilight series - twice - in August and September and am now anxiously awaiting the movie on 11/21. Can't wait!
• My punk sister is movie BACK to California in December - less than a year from when I drove her butt home! I can't believe she's leaving again, and I'm going to miss having her around...
• Adam and I took the kids to see High School Musical 3 the night it was released in the theater and it was AWESOME!! We all loved the movie - the dancing and music was absolutely outstanding. Seriously!
• My favorite shows this year: Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters and Dirty, Sexy Money (I didn't claim that any of them had redemptive value! They are definitely for entertainment purposes)
• I'm working the polls on Election Day again this year! I LOVE being a small part of the political process in that way. Watching people exercise this important right in our Democratic system is SO exciting!! It'll be a LONG day, but I have a feeling that we'll be busy. :)
  

That's about it for now! Who knows... maybe now that I've tested the blogging waters again, I'll be more likely to update every now and then. Maybe.

Allergy Update

As you may know, our son Jacob has suffered from a handful of food allergies since he was a baby. He was officially diagnosed at 11 months old after going into anaphylactic shock - twice. We learned at that time that he was allergic to milk, wheat, soy and nuts. Pretty restrictive for a little guy. He ate a lot of rice, rice krispies, rice bread and really gross but very nutritional (or so they say) completely synthetic non-milk, non-soy formula. He drank that until he was at least two and a half maybe three years old. He was retested when he was 3 and we got the terrific news that he was no longer allergic to soy - we celebrated with some FRENCH FRIES!! What American child doesn't eat McDonald's fries until he's over 3 years old?! Over the months and years we slowly began introducing small amounts of wheat and milk products into his diet and over the last year or so we've seen a big difference in how his body responds to them - very little eczema, less digestive "issues", etc. Our suspicions were confirmed today when we went for another skin test. Jacob was SO brave - he did such a great job!Jacob's still allergic to a lot of different things, mostly environmental - grasses, trees, weeds, mold, dust mites, etc. All very normal and treatable. He's also still allergic to peanuts. BUT, he has NO OTHER FOOD ALLERGIES!!! He could drink a whole glass of milk right now and be just fine! Of course, we'll have to get him to like it first...

This is such a HUGE answer to years worth of prayers. We've been praying for his healing since we first learned of his allergies. We've also talked about how it's possible that God may choose not to take them away and that's ok - God's knows better than we do. We've often talked about how his allergies have helped make him a very responsible, thoughtful, flexible, patient and considerate kid. Tonight we got to celebrate this answer to our prayers and talk about what we've all learned from him having them. I know I've certainly learned a lot.

We go back on Wednesday of this next week to do a peanut challenge. We know that he's allergic to them, but that doesn't tell us what his potential reaction would be if he's exposed, so that is what this test will tell us. It will help us (and all his caregivers) to understand what could happen and how he should be treated (ie. Benedryl vs. Epipen and 911). Please pray with us for a great report next week also!

Month in Review

Jacob with his camp group on pick-up day.

Abby with her camp group on pick-up day.

Two of the happiest, tiredest, dirtiest kids in history.

Just after crossing over the Mackinaw Bridge. We brought Allison and Rachel with us to pick up the kids and for a week at Buckatabon. It was AWESOME!!

The park where the kids spent the vast majority of their time.

Seriously.

Katie, getting some sun on the boat while we pulled the kids.

Jacob and Ally on the tube.

Abby and Rachel on the tube.

The world's smallest chicken leg.

There was a bear in camp! It was hanging around a little too much, so it was time to call DNR to do something about it. Being that we were sleeping in a very thin, nylon tent, with 4 marshmallow-scented children, I was ok with that idea. (Did you know that marshmallows are a favorite food of the black bear??)

The crew, including my cousin Kaitlyn, on a day trip to Bond Falls in the U.P.

Jacob and Kaitlyn on the tube - MAJOR accomplishment as Kaitlyn hasn't tubed in YEARS!

Abby and Ally on the tube.

Jacob and Rachel on the tube.

Kaitlyn on the boat while we were eagle-spotting.

Back home for another session of swimming lessons.

Finally, I spent the weekend in Chicago at the Craft & Hobby Association Summer 2008 trade show buying for Pages In Time. Fun stuff!

It's been a great month since I posted last. We're REALLY enjoying our summer, which is flying by WAY too fast. Lots more fun in store...

The kids are at camp

I took a handful of pictures on Sunday when I dropped them off, and the rest are from the camp website. The post pictures daily, which is WAY cool!

They look like some happy kids to me. Check out some more pictures here.

WHAT THE...??!?

I just came to work an HOUR early. An entire hour. **WITHOUT REALIZING IT**!!! Apparently I woke up to my husband's alarm this morning, thinking it was mine - and it just happened to go off exactly when I expected it to - minus one hour. So I got up and jumped in the shower. Got out, looked at the clock - right on target. See, I only look at the minute hand because I have my schedule down and know I have to be out of the house by quarter til to get my coffee and get to work on time. Plugged through the morning routine, got my coffee, came to work, turned on all the lights, adjusted the thermostats and started counting out the money in the cash drawers. As I'm doing so I notice that the time on the computer says 8:16. Not 9:16 like I would normally expect, since I'm scheduled to get here at 9 and open at 9:30. No, 8:16. Weird. So I walk to my purse and pick up my cell phone. 8:16. Now that's really weird. Want to know the scary thing? I was so sure that it WASN'T 8:16 that the following explanations ran through my head:

• Someone is playing a monumental practical joke on me. I mean, going to the point of changing the time on my cell - now that's impressive. So I check some more clocks and try to call my husband to ask him what time it is. No answer.
• Did the time change?? It's June, right? Spring ahead, Fall back... What the heck happens in June?!? Check the time on the work phones. 8:16. Hmmm....

So I go back to counting the drawers and Adam calls me back. "What time is it?" I ask. 8:23. "ARE YOU STINKING KIDDING ME??!? I GOT UP AN HOUR EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. I pushed the snooze on my alarm TWICE this morning, just like normal. That's right. On MY alarm. The one that wasn't even going off yet. And it didn't even phase me, apparently, that it didn't do anything. I just went right back to sleep for that blissful 10 more minutes. Yeah.

Spring Hill Camp

I LOVE Spring Hill! It's the camp that I went to as a kid, and eventually worked at on their Teen-Service-Teams. It was AWESOME. I wish I could go back. Seriously. I would totally go to summer camp right now.

But they won't let me, so I'm going to send my kids and live vicariously through them!! We drive them up this Sunday and I am SO excited for them. They're going to Storybrook - the part of Spring Hill that's just for kids who've finished 1st-3rd grades. Jacob and Abby obviously won't be in the same cabin (and by cabin I mean firehouse, treehouse, farmhouse or safari village!) or anything, but they'll see each other at meals and at other random times. They'll get to do things like boating, crafts, slingshots (replaced archery - wonder why??), a ZIPLINE, the swimming pool, the SPRINKLER PARK, and the BLOB!! Summer camp is even COOLER than when I went! (which is no real surprise since that was DECADES ago...)

I plan to take TONS of pictures when we go up with them, they send emails with photos to the parents all week long, they'll each have a disposable camera (should be interesting), and they'll also get a highlight DVD of their week at camp, so we'll have lots to share in just a little more than a week. If you think of it, please pray for their safety, that they'll get the most incredibly fun counselors, and that they'll have an absolute blast!

3 Month Checkup

I went to Dr. Boling's office today for my 3 month post-op checkup. 3 months since the lasik. I haven't mentioned it here much, but not for the reason(s) you might think. I've thought about writing about it several times over the last few months, but just haven't gotten around to it, so here's the downlow on my lasik procedure:

This is, without a doubt, the closest thing to a miracle that I think I've ever personally experienced. Having perfect eye sight, after 25+ years of glasses and contacts - that is, if I want to be able to see anything. They told me again today that I'm actually seeing 20/15 (wowza!), which might be better than I've ever seen in my life! It still catches me off guard when I go to bed at night and when I wake up in the morning. Every night I think, "Forgot to take my contacts out again...WAIT!" And just about every morning I reach for my glasses on the nightstand... nothing. Blink, blink. WOA - I can SEE!!

This isn't to say that there aren't side effects. My eyes are dry sometimes - but they often were before the procedure, too. (Now I use eyedrops every now and then.) I'm pretty sensitive to light sometimes (other times it doesn't seem to bother me at all - kind of strange), but again, with contacts I was kind of the same way - now I just wear my sunglasses more regularly, which is probably a good thing. And honestly, if these are the worst of the side effects - they're a small price to pay. It is absolutely worth it. I would do it all again in a heartbeat!!

I thank God for this incredible gift - at different points throughout the day, or when I lay down at night and I can see the clock, the moon out the window, or the kids' faces when they come to my room with a bad dream... I know that it's only possible because he allowed it to happen. The funds (love that HSA), the doctor that I trusted, the results - all credit goes to him. I am so incredibly grateful.

Myrtle Beach

So far, the trip is going GREAT! Having a blast... Click here to see more photos.

14 years

That's right - 14 years ago today we both said "I do". FOURTEEN YEARS. Is that possible?? You have given me the best years of my life, two incredible children, your love, support, patience, hard work, selflessness, friendship and SO much more. We've had our fair share (or maybe more?) of struggles, and I'm not naive enough to think that they're all behind us, but they have only made us stronger and I have no doubt that we're ready for whatever is to come. I look forward to the adventure that's ahead of us and I'm thankful that we're in it together. I love you - now more than ever!

Jacob's Birthday Party

Click on the photo to see the spectacular (and long overdue) photo highlights!

Hello Prema!

Aroma, myself, Prema and Rajendran - March 2004

I found out not too long ago that my good friend, Prema, has been reading my blog! Prema is an incredible woman whom I had the pleasure of meeting on my second trip to India. We keep in contact through email and by sending little gifts and letters with teams that have since travelled back and forth. I am very excited to say that it looks like I'll be returning to India in December of this year as a member of GCC's "Justice Team" - yes, that's right - I'm in the Justice League. haha. I'm really excited about this opportunity to return to a land and people that I have come to love very dearly. My time with Prema and her sister Aroma were some of the most precious of my life. I don't know of a time I've felt more loved and provided for than when in the care of these wonderful women. I'm equally excited about the opportunity to make a difference in such a meaningful way while we are there. We don't have specifics yet, but the overall goal is to bring attention to and come to the aid of women who are sexually exploited in their workplace. Imagine choosing between starvation for yourself and your family or a job that brings in a paycheck, but at the cost of your body and whenever your employer feels the urge. Say no and lose your job and any hope of supporting your family. It's wrong, and I'm happy to be able to do anything I can to bring an end to it. And I'll be thrilled to see my good friend Prema while I'm there!

My Husband

Check out what our pastor (and Adam's boss) had to say about Adam on his blog this week. I have never been more proud.

Big Things Happening...

Couple of news flashes this week! First, I ended up with VERY last minute tickets to the Oprah Show! It's one of those things that I thought would be fun to do, but it was my friend Tammy that REALLY wanted to go, so I've been trying to get tickets for a little while now. As luck would have it, she wasn't able to join me because of some family stuff - but that worked out well for my mom! She and I headed over to Chicago on Wednesday for the afternoon taping. It was all about OCD (made me think of a couple of people I know...) and very interesting. There wasn't any audience interaction, though, so it wasn't as fun as I thought it could be. I'll just have to go back sometime, I guess!

Second major development this week: Our friends, the Verduins, had their ultrasound yesterday... and they are having TWINS!!! I cannot fully explain in words how big of a deal this is, but trust me - it's a BIG DEAL! For two people who prefer to plan as much as they possibly can, this is throwing them for quite a loop - but I know they're going to be GREAT! Who better to handle TWO babies at one time than two people who are organized planners?? Imagine if *I* had had twins! I would have lost one of them, or forgotten one at the store, or mixed them up and forever called them by the wrong names... (Of course, they won't have that problem since they're having one boy and one girl!) I can't wait to meet these gorgeous babies! Of course, in the meantime, we'll be walking through the next 18 weeks or so with Scott and Debbie as they mentally prepare themselves for all of the challenges they have ahead of them, like TWO car seats, TWO cribs, TWO high chairs, TWO... hehehe!! WHAT FUN!!!

Here's the thing about blogging...

It starts to feel a little bit like homework after you don't do it for a while. Or like CASE NOTES, for those of you who understand the term. I get behind, I get overwhelmed, and I just avoid it. So there you have it - a little look at the inner workings of me.

Since my last post:

• trip to Cabo with Tam and Leah
• Jacob's birthday - he's NINE!!!
• lots of working
• church
• Abby's still having her nightmares (or whatever) - another one tonight
• the weather is finally getting NICE
  

Where have all the Girl Scouts gone??

What does a girl have to do to get a Girl Scout to sell her some cookies??!? Are they just rolling in the dough these days and don't need the extra income? Are they getting lazy? Have I been blacklisted? What is the stinking deal?? I bought my ONE AND ONLY box this year at the Elkhart Farmer's Market from some random girl wearing a cookie. I have to be the only person on the planet who has to SEEK OUT girl scout cookies! I remember, back in the day, when Girl Scouts used to actually pull a little red wagon piled full with boxes of delicious cookies. They'd actually come to your door. Seriously!

Down to my last pack of Thin Mints...

A Homeowner's/Mother's/Scrapbooker's Worst Nightmare...

Adam and I discovered last week that our family room flooded a little while back when I went to pull Abby's First Year album off our bookshelf. Apparently we've got "seepage" at the foundation - at least that's our assumption at this point - because the floor, baseboard and lower part of the wall all show damage. The bookshelf and cd towers (Ikea system, that I happened to *really* like) are completely ruined as they are pressed wood and they wicked the water up and molded. The carpet showed signs of being wet about 3-4 feet out from the wall. It also damaged an end table and a desk that Adam uses for his Xbox, and you can also tell that the bottom corners of the couches got wet.

Back to the First Year album... I pulled it off the bottom shelf and found it to be completely damp and molded at the bottom, which was how I discovered there was a problem. We proceeded to empty the bookshelf - Jacob's First Year album and one of my India trip albums were also ruined. Not a good day/week for me.

Good news? The pictures, including some of their Joyce's portraits, can pretty much be replaced as I have located most of the negatives, and Joyce's keeps EVERYTHING!!

Bad news? Insurance doesn't cover "seepage."

Sounds like we get to pull up some carpet, bleach stuff, replace some padding, baseboard, drywall, furniture, and albums. $$$ Ouch.

My New Favorite Quote...

"A good marriage is a bit like a pet boa constrictor: either you feed it every day or bad things happen."

Another nightmare/sleepwalking event tonight. Wondering if I'm way off on my estimated average... Is it happening even more often than I realize?? Tonight was a little different because she came downstairs and actually talked. She said, "I love you mommy" as she climbed into my lap, and then said it again, "I love you mommy." That's it. Watching her closely tonight I also realized that there are also other things that she regularly does during these episodes - there's a lot of twitching and other movements. Her eyes flutter, she yawns (mentioned that before), she scratches her skin all over... Very strange.

Remember the picture frame Abby carried downstairs on Friday night? She found it in the kitchen on Saturday morning (where I left it after taking her back up to bed) and was all offended that someone had taken it out of her room! She says, "HEY! What is my picture frame doing in the kitchen??" I told her that she brought it downstairs with her the night before and she thought I was messing with her. She had NO memory of it whatsoever.

Thoughts?

Ok, I'm looking for input here. For a few years now, Abby has been experiencing what I can only describe as sleepwalking and/or nightmares. I would say they happen, on average, about once every week or two. This is how things typically go:

Adam and I can hear the floor creak upstairs and we know right away that Abby is on her way downstairs. She comes downstairs to the family and she usually has a distraught/terrified/upset look on her face. She doesn't speak, or cry really. Her eyes are open, at least until one of us gets her into our arms. She'll usually hold on and lay her head on my chest and her eyes will usually flutter or close and she appears to go right back to sleep. She's always cold and clammy. Many times I've tried to talk to her and ask her what's wrong, if she had a bad dream or whatever. She sometimes acts like she's trying to speak - she'll even move her mouth like she's trying to talk, but nothing comes out, or she'll make sounds but they're complete nonsense. She also yawns a lot - like constantly, one right after the other, until she's asleep or settled down again. Anymore it only takes a minute or two (if that) to appear completely passed out and we carry her upstairs.

There have been a few rare exceptions to the above routine. The very first time it happened, I jumped up and scooped her up in my arms (she looked SO upset it broke my heart!) and I sat right down to hold her and she wet her pants in my lap. I still don't know if she just had to go or if she was so scared that she wet herself.

Another time it happened, Adam wasn't home and I was already in bed reading. Abby found me in there (though I think she made it to the stairs or all the way downstairs before she found me) and climbed up on the bed. She acted like she normally does after one of her dreams, and I was saying soothing things to try to calm her down. Then she suddenly appeared to wake up, even though her eyes had been half open before, and when I asked her a question she actually answered me. I asked her if she had a bad dream and she said she did, and I asked her what it was about. She said that the McMullens (our best friends - hers, too) fell in a hole and there was fire and they burned up. That was what finally confirmed that she was experiencing horrible dreams before wandering to find us.

Tonight something totally new happened. She carried something downstairs with her. She's never done that before. She brought a picture frame that she keeps on the side of her bed and handed it to me when I picked her up to hold her. Still no talking.

So, that's what I know for now. I don't know of any family history of any such behavior. The closest thing I know of is some cousins that liked to sleepwalk... I remember having pretty bad dreams as a kid, but no wandering that I know of. I'd love to hear advice or thoughts from anyone who has heard of or seen anything similar. Not sure that there's anything more that we can really do (other than pray for and over her like I do now), but who knows?

Mad Science

Jacob has been sick AGAIN this week. He and Abby each missed a few days of school a couple of weeks ago, and now Jacob's back home again - 3 days this week. He had a fever of 103.7 at one point. I think, though, that he's going back to school tomorrow. Of course then they have the day off on Friday, so Jacob will be in school ONE day this week. Nice.

Abby's first grade class just started their Science unit and she couldn't be more excited. There has, however, been an immediately noticeable side effect to her newfound interest. She likes to call them experiments. They typically involve liquid soap, lotions, bowls, cups and other measuring devices, large amounts of water, stirring tools, and pretty much anything else she can get her hands on. Nothing is safe. It's a pretty entertaining thing to watch, as long as you don't value your personal belongings too highly, or mind cleaning up slimy, bubbly messes...

One week later...

Went for my 1 week check-up today. Still seeing 20/15 (you do know that's better than 20/20, right??) and reading 20/20. Everything looks good. Literally. I get to stop using one of the 3 kinds of eye drops, and I'm done using the eye-shields for sleeping - yeehaw! I can also start wearing eye makeup again.

I've caught myself a handful of times reaching for my glasses on my nightstand, and it still really freaks me out when I can read my alarm clock in the middle of the night. I get to go back for another check-up in 3 weeks, the Thursday before I leave for CABO!!

In other news, Steve's girls are here for THREE weeks, starting this week. Jacob and Abby are thrilled and couldn't wait to get to grandma's to see them. Uncle Steve even took them all in the hot tub to celebrate!Steve needed a little liquid courage to handle the challenge. Unfortunately all they had was "Katie's" wine coolers. I'm not allowed in a pool or hot tub yet (eyes) and Katie wussed out, so Steve was on his own. Good news is that they all made it out alive.

Finally, happy birthday to Mom on Sunday and Katie today! Steve's is also coming up later in March, so we'll all get it over with by the end of the month. The plan is to do Das Essenhaus and "Horton Hears a Who" sometime this weekend to celebrate all of our birthdays. Fun, fun!

24 hours later...

By this time yesterday I was at home and in bed - out like a light. Let's just say that the Valium and the sleeping pill really did the trick. :)

So, here's how things went down:
Adam and I arrived at Boling Vision Center at 8:40am and I was nervous. They immediately took me back to a room and gave me the Valium. Thank you very much. Asked me some questions, gave me more eye drops, and then took me to another room where I got to watch Regis and Kelly for a few minutes. Put on one of those cool blue medical-type hair net things - sweet. From there they took me to another room that was dimly lit and I was told to sit in a chair in the corner. There was a man sitting in the exam chair in the middle of the room who had just finished his procedure. He was still alive and seemed unharmed - good sign. More eye drops (for me), including the ones to numb my eyes (very important!). Dr. Boling came in and examined the man, then asked us to switch chairs. I had to look into a bright light and he wrote (with a permanent marker?) on the surface of my eye to "mark the angle of treatment." Weird, but ok. Can't feel it anyway. Another minute later the nurse was walking me into the laser treatment room (me: "are you sure the Valium is working yet - maybe I need another few minutes...?") At this point I'm without my glasses, so I can't really see much, except for large pieces of equipment and a couple of random guys...

They had me lay down on the bed thing and that's when I came face-to-face with Howard, the guy who did my 3 hour battery of exams on Monday. Nice to see a friendly face. After that I didn't see a whole lot except for some flashing lights, bright white lights, or nothing at all. The best part of it was that it was incredibly fast. I was probably out of that room in 5-10 minutes. For the Intralase (cutting laser), they actually pushed some type of ring down onto my eyeball (at lease that's what it felt like) and then I couldn't see anything at all. Didn't feel anything either - they had to actually tell me that the laser was working! When the first eye was done, I could close it while they did the other eye - only about 30 seconds for each one. It really helped that one of the faceless men actually counted down so I knew exactly how long it was going to take. After they finished that part on both eyes, the spun the bed about 30 degrees to the side and got me lined up with the treatment laser. They propped one eye open (which actually didn't bother me near as much as I thought it would) and the used something to pull the corneal flap up, but I couldn't feel it because my eyes were completely numb (not tingly, just can't feel anything). Through that whole part I just had to work to focus on a red flashing light. Then the laser went to work - it makes a loud clicking noise, and I won't lie - there's a smell. The laser was obviously burning something. Ick. But again, the faceless man was counting and it was less than 30 seconds before it was done. Then they rinsed my eye with a bunch of liquid (saline, I'm assuming) and brushed it a few times with something soft and cold, like a paintbrush - I think to get the flap back in place where it belonged. Then they repeated the whole thing with the other eye and I was done! They did put some contact lenses on my eyes to help with light-sensitivity since I'm "fair-skinned and light-eyed," but they weren't any prescription. When I sat up from the bed I could read the clock on the opposite wall!! Cloudy, yes, but I could read it!

They led me to a very dark room where I sat with my eyes closed for 15 minutes or so (almost fell asleep). Then I got to go back to the exam room for Dr. Boling to check things out. He said things looked perfect and that he'd see me in 24 hours for my check-up. The nurse taped my protective goggles (or giant bug-eye lenses, as I like to call them) to my face and led me out to the waiting area to find Adam. My eyes were REALLY light sensitive at first, so she also put a pair of sunglasses over the giant goggles, which I found hysterical (I think the Valium was finally kicking in at this point). Adam took me down to the car, I took my sleeping pill, and I was OUT about halfway home. Or maybe sooner. I don't remember much - except that I could read - clearly - the carwash sign on Main Street! Adam woke me up when we got home, I walked straight upstairs and fell into bed and got up again around 6pm. Nice.

I had to wear the goggles for the rest of the day, and I'll have to wear them to sleep for a week, to keep any pressure off my eyes. I also can't rub or touch my eyes at all. Don't want that flap falling back out of place! With my near-constant regimen of eye drops, I'm good to go. The reading ban was lifted this morning, so here I am!