4 things meme

I'm killing three birds with one stone in this post.

I've been tagged by Lisa ( from Domestic Accident) for another meme. I love these. I'm a dork. And I'm OK with that.....

And participating in Kristen's (from THAT family) weekly carnival.....

AND answering a question that Marni (from Marni's Organized Mess) asked me.

4 things I was doing 10 years ago...

lets see...that was May of 98....

1. I had been married to hubby for 2 1/2 years.

2. Dreamy Smurf (son #2) was conceived in May after 6 months of trying. And Hefty Smurf (son #1) was 18 months old.

Dreamy Smurf in my tummy....

boy have maternity clothes come a long way in the last 10 years!

3. I switched from full time to part time on the step-down/telemetry unit I was working on.

4. We went in September of that year to California with my Grandparents to visit family outside of LA. We also spent some time in Palm Springs and went on a 4 day Carnival Cruise to Encenada. Hefty (son #1) was 22 months old and with us. That was his first trip to Disney. When we left for Cali he had a vocabulary of maybe 10 words....and by the time we returned he was speaking in full sentences. He went through his big language boom during that 2 week vacation.

The following pictures are from our day at Disney

Peek-A-Boo

Dig'n Mickey's crib


Palm Springs


This photo was taken on our cruise

4 things I was doing 5 years ago...

and that would bring us to 2003

1. This brings me to answering your question, Marni....When my daughter was approximately 5 weeks old (end of January 2003) I found out I had these nasty little things growing on my ovaries.

They are Teratomas (AKA Dermoid Cysts). Rare little fatty tumors filled with calcified body parts....hair, nails, teeth.....it was explained to me that for whatever reason a cell becomes confused (not fertilized) and will just start to proliferate into these calcified body parts. I was a rare case indeed.....my doctor explained to me that it's extremely rare to even have ONE of these....but I had TWO...one on each ovary! Apparently, I was special.......I could'a been cast in a freak show! I was so freaked out by this that when my doctor removed them I demanded that he take pictures for me so I could see what they looked like. And he did. Sorry for grossing you out....but you asked!

2. In May 2003 my daughter was 5 months old and colicky as hell and I was borderline suicidal and on the verge of running far far away. I was crying 24/7 along with my daughter because I hadn't slept in 5 months. Hefty was 6, Dreamy was 4, and Smurfette was 5 months old. My daughter would not sleep....would not eat more than 2 ounces of formula at a time....was not gaining weight....cried screamed for 23 hours of every single day....had to be held at all times ....and I was losing. my. mind.

This...

Is what I was dealing with for SIX STRAIGHT MONTHS........

This was quite possibly the WORST time of my life. And I finally could partially empathize and understand how a person who wasn't dealing with a full deck of cards could lose control and shake their baby to the point of harming them.

No, of course I didn't harm her....so don't go calling social services....I'm just saying that I certainly can see now how it happens.

Her pediatrician wouldn't listen to me and kept telling me that she was just colicky and I'd just have to learn how to deal with it until she outgrew it.

UNTIL....

One day when she was 6 months old she developed a goopy eye infection and I had to bring her in to see the doc. But her doc wasn't working that day so we had to see his associate. So, I thought, I'd bring up the colicky thing again....this time to a different doc to see what a 2nd opinion would say about the situation.

I think he knew I was at the end of my rope....my baby girl was in pain.....my baby girl was in a LOT of pain....there was nothing I could do to soothe my baby girl.....and this baby girl's mother hadn't slept in SIX. MONTHS.

I started crying right there in the office and couldn't stop. He asked some basic questions and then listened as I explained what was going on and he said "well, it sounds like she might have a simple case of reflux....aka. heartburn....lets try some Zantac".

OMG ya'll.

Within the first 24 hours of her first dose of Zantac she drank her first full 6 oz bottle....AND she slept through the night for the first time.

My daughter was born. My happy, sweet, smiley & bubbly little girl was born at 6 months of age.

Zantac......the miracle drug......"ALL HALE ZANTAC".

I then went and bought a pistol and shot her pediatrician right between the eye balls......well........ummm......not really....but, you know what I mean....

My sweet baby girl at 6 months old...just look at that beautiful smile!....who knew?!

Smurfette and her big brother Dreamy Smurf loving each other....This was taken in September of 2003....this is one of my all time favorite pictures.

3. That year in August we went on a family trip to Myrtle Beach.

The 3 handsome men in my life...Dreamy Smurf, Papa Smurf, and Hefty Smurf

Hefty and Dreamy

Dreamy

Hefty

Me....I can't believe I'm posting this picture....

And little baby Smurfette....and her beautiful smile....

4. I switched from part-time to contingent at work. I was working 2 weekends/month so we could avoid the cost of putting 3 kids in day-care.

4 things I did yesterday...(Tuesday)

1. Smurfette and I went grocery shopping.

2. I helped load 2 book cases (the last of our Craigslist furniture) into a very strange woman's car. Could she have PUT any more perfume on? (Accenting the word "PUT" Chandler Bing style). I started breaking out in hives as soon as I smelled her. And I couldn't quite tell if she was looking at me or the bookcases to her left as her eyes were pointing in two different directions. She....by the way....in case you were wondering....got a divorce after 26 years of marriage with her first husband and is working on the 5th year of marriage to the 2nd husband but really isn't too sure how much more she can take it and may be getting a divorce soon because she doesn't get along with his kids and thinks they just don't like her because they want ALL the inheritance money to themselves but she has rights too and she deserves SOMEthing after putting up with his sorry ass for 5 long years....he's not dead yet by-the-way and isn't even sick but....you know....it's important to think ahead....and her coming home with two book cases was NOT going to go over so well as her husband specifically told her NOT to come home with two book cases..... I learned all this in the 5 minutes that she was in my garage.....OMG where do these people COME from? And I mean that..... of course...... in the most non-judgemental or opinionated way.....

3. I sat on hold on the phone for almost an hour with the Creative Memories digital help desk trying to figure out why a portion of the recently purchased program didn't download. Problem is now (finally) solved.

4. Took all three kids to gymnastics and then took my daughter to her dance class.

4 shows I like to watch...

1. So You think You Can Dance! STARTS AGAIN TOMORROW!!!! I already have it set to record! YEAY!

2. Oprah

3. Gray's Anatomy

4. Jon & Kate + 8

4 things I love to do....(besides being with my kids)

1. Scrapbooking on paper and now digitally on the computer.

2. blogging....I think that goes without saying....

3. Going on adult nights out with my husband and our group of friends....doesn't happen nearly enough.

4. Reading. Although, I gotta say that this blogging obsession has put a little kink in the reading time. I've had that book posted on the left as "the book I'm currently reading" for, like, a month. It's a very good book..... don't get me wrong....I'm thoroughly enjoying it. BUT.....I'd rather be blogging. So I put it down for awhile and just recently picked it back up. I WILL finish it!

So I'm tagging Kelly (at Mom of the Year), Marni (at Marni's Organized Mess), Kristen (at Jilli Java), and my cuz Lisa (at Little Painted Polka Dots), and Katie (at Happy2bme).