Orientation...

Of all the times that my acid reflux could have possibly flared up, it HAD to be this evening.

Orientation went splendidly (I survived the first cut! They accepted my application, right?), but I was feeling sick to my stomach throughout the whole orientation. F*cking A I have the worst luck! I thought I would be okay (able to hide it), until they told us that we had to break up in groups.

Dun, dun, dun!

I was visibly green at the gills. So "green" that I had to tell the trainers that I was in the middle of a reflux flare up in between mini gasps and gags. Yep, can we say unprofessional? Needless to say I'm hoping my little "medical issue" doesn't hinder my ability to start the Fall training program. The organization can defer me to the Spring program at their discretion. Space is REALLY limited so keep your fingers crossed that I'll make the FINAL cut for the Fall.

Having an acid reflux attack during "first impression time" is not good.

On the upside, I'm now convinced that my attacks are stress/anxiety induced. I've been good about taking my medications so there really is no other explanation behind what the hell happened today. I haven't had a flare up since finals week! Maybe I'll get that endoscopy after all. I'm sick and tired of taking so many medications that CLEARLY don't work to combat the issue.

Nevertheless, I'm glad the "meet and greet" portion is over. Acid relflux and all, I walked away with a lot of information and met some pretty interesting people. I'm excited to get in there and get started already! Sex education something that I've been interested in since I was nineteen. It feels good to be thisclose to getting that goal accomplished after all these years. It's also nice to be able to talk/learn about sex in an environment that doesn't treat it as a taboo/perverted subject.

Can I get a woo-hoo for sex education?!

From X-Rays to X-Rated...

I went to school today, but not to begin the 2nd quarter. I went to school to submit my temporary withdrawal letter. Even though I'm going back next year (unless I strike the lotto), I'm still really sad that I had to leave. Quitting is not in my nature even when I have no choice in the matter. But hey, for every closed door a new one opens right? My radiography education has officially entered its hiatus. No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks! ;-)

Out with x-rays onto x-rated! (Ha, I swear I can't get enough of that phrase.)

My orientation for the Sex Educator training program is tomorrow night. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. What if I get there and I absolutely hate it? What if I have nothing in common with anyone? What if it's too sex-y for me? What if? What if? WHAT IF?!

Then what?

Argh, I despise entering uncharted territory! I'm sure everything will be fine, but I'm going to worry incessantly until I finally get there. That's just how I roll. Stay tuned 'cause I'm sure I'll have LOTS to write about after orientation tomorrow. :)

In the meantime, here's my "funny kid story" for the day.

Kevin and I were having fish (okay, it was Tilapia!) for dinner this evening when Boo decided to join us. Here is the conversation that followed:

Boo: Mama, is that fish alive?
Me: No, we can't eat it if it's alive.
Boo: How'd it died? Did you cooked it?
Me: Yes, it was cooked. (I was starting to visualize the fish being alive.)
Boo: So it's dead??? Did it swim?
Me: Yes, it's dead. (I was REALLY starting to get grossed out by this time.)
Boo: Oh. Wow, there's the mouth! It has teeth. Are all its friends still alive?
Me: I don't know Boo, just eat it.
Boo: Did you fried it? Oh yeah, it died! Look at the mouth Mama!
Me: Boo! Stop talking about the fish being alive!!

Boo did an excellent job reminding me that I was feasting on dead fish carcass. It didn't help when John pointed to the fish and told Anthony "that's Nemo" either. In the eyes of my four year old, our dinner used to LIVE, swim, and have friends! He clearly wasn't bothered by the idea of the fish being a living, breathing? creature. He asked me all of those questions as he happily munched on said fish! Anthony did such a good job at grossing me out that I *almost* wasn't able to finish my dinner. But, I love me some fish so I ate it up anyway.

Good night, folks!

The Bank...

Kevin and I went to the bank after I picked him up from school yesterday. I made sure he used the restroom before we left his school, but after a long wait in line (right when we approached the counter) he announced to me that he had to use the bathroom, again.

Ah....six year olds, gotta love them. ;)

I'm a regular at the bank so I knew the teller and she was clearly amused. She saw how long we waited in line. Why oh why do kids have "perfect" timing?! In true Mommy fashion, I had no qualms about asking Kev whether he had to go Number 1 or Number 2 as I hurriedly did my bank transaction. Of course, Kevin proclaimed, "I gotta go poo."

Grrrrreat!

I hate, hate, HATE taking my kids to use public restrooms! It just really grosses me out. I detest taking Kevin in particular because he is NOT germ-conscious. Kev likes to squish his tiny bottom as far into the seat as possible. So, the thin paper ass-gasket is ripped to shreds by the time he's finished situating himself on the seat.

"I won't get wet when the poop falls into the water."

This is the logic behind why he scoots so low into the seat. Nice, isn't it? Kev also refuses to hover over the seat because he might fall. Instead, he prefers to hold onto the sides of the seat where Lord-knows-what splashed, smeared, or connected onto it.

Ugh, so gross.

Alas, nature called and my KID was starting to fidget. By this time the whole damn bank knew he had to take a shit. Yet, he managed to ignore nature just enough so he could still dance around in front of the security cameras. (Yes, Kevin is an animated little guy.) I was really starting to think he'd break out into full song and dance. "I Gotta Go Poo: The Musical" was going to unfold right before my eyes, folks! The teller managed to quickly wrap up the transaction just as Kevin announced to me that he was "starting to sweat".

Kids are just brutally honest, aren't they?

Off to the bathroom we went so Kev could do his business. With a push, grunt, and a whole lot of hand washing, our trip to the bank was finally done.

These are the days when I miss changing his diapers.

Mobility...

Let the "Injury Fest" begin 'cause Niki's going to be crawling soon!

I just discovered that my baby girl can momentarily support her own weight on when she is her hands and knees. She bounces back and forth in an attempt to move. Lol! It's totally cute, but this also means that mobility is swiftly approaching folks!

I'm excited and terrified at the same time.

More movement = increased risk for injury. I'm really trying NOT to be a "helicopter parent", but I am moved to hover over her. I can't help it. Sometimes, I wish Niki would stay little forever. I don't want her to get hurt. I don't want her to bleed. I don't want her to grow up!

I vote that she stays a baby forever. ;-)

All joking aside, I've been looking forward to this day. She'll be 8 months old on the 16th. The time has come. Maybe we'll be lucky and she won't have joint bleeds at all. In the meantime, I've got knee pads, leg warmers, and cushy carpet waiting for her with "open arms".

I'm still thinking about the helmet.

Bueno...

Things have been "no bueno" around my neck of the woods lately. Needless to say, I've been in a crappy mood since my last entry. However, my spirits have been recently uplifted so I felt that a blog entry was in order.

Onto the looong update...

After I finished my finals last week, things were actually starting to look "muy bueno". Finals were over and I did pretty damn good, Niki's gums were starting to get better, no more commute, then....early Friday morning Niki (you know, the one with the bleeding disorder?)....FELL. OFF. THE. BED!!!

(Insert your audible gasps here.)

Don't ask me how it happened, but it DID and it was NO BUENO. Thankfully, we have extra thick carpet and padding so the "Fall Heard 'Round the World" wasn't bad, but the guilt will last a lifetime.

(Not my guilt, but someone else's guilt. I just thought I would add that!) ;-)

I was multitasking milliseconds after the fall. I picked her up, looked for signs of injury, handed her to John, called Dr. Awesome's office (waited on hold), and started mixing Niki's factor! Things went quick, but they have to when these things happen. (The rule of thumb in the hemophilia community is "factor first, questions later". Always, always, ALWAYS, administer factor for potential bleeding.)

Niki had stopped crying less than one minute after the "Fall Heard 'Round the World" so she just sat there and watched me in my mini-panic while John held an cold pack on her head. She didn't have a bruise, scuff, or mark on her head or the rest of her body for that matter. She actually seemed just fine.

She was trying to eat the cold pack for crying out loud. The heffer. :)

But still..."factor first, questions later", right? Would you believe that I administered her factor in less than five minutes!? A new world record my friends! I finished right when the on-call Hematologist came on the line. The on-call doc told me to do exactly what I just finished. Give her factor? Check. Put a cold pack on her head? Check. Know the signs of major head injury/bleeding? Check.

We did all the right things and that felt damn good. Apparently, Niki is not the first hemophiliac to fall off of the bed. The on-call MD told me that they get calls for kids getting dropped on accident, falling down stairs, hitting their head, etc...etc...etc. She assured me that they get calls like ours "all the time". Bleeding disorder or not, falling/getting hurt will happen to all babies as they explore with their new found mobility. So, child protective services wasn't coming to take her away after all.

Haha...I kid, I kid!

The only precaution the Hematologist gave us was to watch for signs of a head bleed for a few days. Signs of a subdural hematoma can take time to develop. (Blood has to build up first.) Unfortunately (or fortunately?), our experience with Ethan has left us very familiar with symptoms associated with a head bleed. We saw that shit first hand, folks! Spontaneous and injury-related head bleeds present with the same symptoms. Naturally I was worried, but I had a feeling that she didn't even hit her head. I am happy to report that it has now been SIX days since the fall and Niki clearly didn't have a subdural. She's doing just fine. :)

Things were getting back to "muy bueno" until yesterday.

First, I was up all night yacking my brains out. I had a medical procedure scheduled in the afternoon (fun, fun, fun!) and the preparation did not sit well with my stomach. Second, on my way to clear Ethan's headstone, I got into a car accident with an unlicensed driver.


NO f*cking BUENO.


Thankfully, the accident happened right in front of the fire department. Woo-hoo for cute men in uniform! Even more fortunately, it totally was NOT my fault. Three DCPD (no cute cops...bummer) came because my neck and head got tweaked a little bit. Ha, one Officer even came Code 3 and DCFD was just tickled pink. Apparently, something screwy happened with dispatch so the PD thought the accident was more serious than it was. Despite all of the hoopla, I declined transport to the hospital. Honestly, I was embarrassed.

Two Asians in a car accident? Sooo stereotypical. ;-P

Besides, my neck is doing much better anyway. The firefighter that took my blood pressure (157/112!!!) was super hot, but I think I was just totally flustered by his cute face. What really hurts is the fact that my beloved "Petey the PT" is now at the dealership getting repairs. Oh the humanity! (Now, I'm driving a freaking Ford Fusion. Yuck.)

My neck was hurting, but the main reason I declined medical evaluation was because all I could think about was making it to the cemetery on time. I needed to clear Ethan's headstone before that groundskeepers did. The cemetery clears headstones and cuts the grass every Wednesday. If you don't take your items they toss them. I was late thanks to the accident. The bad news? Some of Ethan's stuff was thrown away (flowers, cones, small decorations, etc). No bueno. The good news? I was able to flag down the person who did the clearing. He informed me that he doesn't throw all of the "baby stuff" away. God bless this man! I suppose he feels bad for the little ones and isn't so heartless to throw toys and religious items away. Ethan's lions, angel sign, cross, and toy cars left by the boys were all safe. Muy bueno. :)

Now, by the time I got to my appointment, I was just freaking exhausted. My neck was still hurting. I was stressed from the accident and the slight mishap at the cemetery. I was hungry, nauseated, and exhausted from the exam preparation. Things were "no bueno" once again! The icing on the cake was the fact that I knew the support staff at my appointment. The doctor needed her assistant. So, a person that used to be a passing acquaintance got to know me very quickly. The good news? I'm perfectly fine. The bad news? My ego...not so much.

So there you have it folks. My long winded blog update is officially over. Of note, this entry was made possible by a life long of mine who helped carry me out of my funk!

So, if you're reading this, thank you. Thanks for being you. :)