April fools - Oh crap - literally

This post falls into the TMI (too much information) category and it is 100% honest no joking here. So I woke up this morning and Scarlett's bag was puffed out to full capacity. I thought it was a bit odd but didn't really give it too much thought. I have eaten an apple at midnight and I don't usually eat that late. All morning long I had gas pain but lower than Scarlett - not possible or is it? I got the kids dressed and then we headed off to Dr. Swider for their physicals. Everyone is healthy and growing leaps and bounds - Ellie is 4'9" and Nick is 3'5" tall. Nick was due for a few shots and we decided to split them up - some today and some next year. Ellie told him he was getting shots and he freaked out. They also did an eye exam and suggested we go see an optometrist because Nick couldn't make out the lower lines but I think it might also have been shot shock. The nurse got him (and me) into position and injected the shots - instant screaming pain. We left and walked to the bakery for a treat and I carried Nick who kept crying out that his arm hurt so much. I had to put him down about halfway there because my tummy was bothering me. It felt completely like gas pain - again, not possible? We went to KidSnips for our appointment for Nick to get his haircut and I really started to not feel so good. I didn't quite know if I was going to vomit, pass out or what but I knew it wasn't good. Nick got his haircut and then we went to Mom's house to watch Tangled and just chill out. When we got to Mom's we changed out Scarlett and I mentioned the pain and noted that my stomach looked puffy. Not too long after that I had a feeling I haven't had in about 7 months - the feeling like I needed to sit on the toilet - poop feeling. TMI - I sat on the toilet and sure enough I was able to poop - holy shit - literally. How can I have an ileostomy and have bowel function? hasn't happened in nearly 7 months why today - April Fools? I guess when you name your medical devices they become independent thinkers and start playing jokes on you. I told Mom and she told me to call Jen. I did and I love how Jen makes each of my frantic calls seem like she has heard the exact same thing about 5 dozen times that day. Jen assured me that with a loop ileostomy, which I have, that the colon is not completely shut off and food/liquid can still make there way down and out. I didn't find it amusing - I was a bit disgusted and thought it really wasn't fair to have an active ileostomy and now an active colon. Well, the short of it - I have not spent this much time on the toilet since last summer - I hate it. Mom reminded me property taxes were due today and I hadn't paid ours yet so I told the kids to get their stuff together and I visited the toilet a final time before we ventured home. More jokes - apparently, just over 320 days since my last period my ovaries might have started to work again - seriously? I so feel mad with my body right now. I realize that all of this is good - this means my body is healing and recovering, however, I had accepted that I was basically in menopause - this could suck. We came home and I paid the taxes online and then I talked Nick into some snuggle time - he was still complaining his arm hurt. I put the hot pad on high and Nick on my lap and the blanket on top of us and we watched cartoons. Ellie played downstairs with her dollhouse. Around 5:30 Rob came home saturated from the Cubs game. Sadly (not), the Cubs lost and the Sox won today. Rob took a shower and then we caught up on the days 'news'. I eventually took a ride to pick up dinner - I thought I would try a baked potato. We ate dinner and then we got the kiddos ready for bed - time to start getting back on a schedule. While toilet runs have slowed down they still exist - still sucks. If I didn't have so much scheduled already for April I would really consider having the reversal sooner. I am so tired and while I was freezing most of the day I am now feeling a bit warm. So, as I said before, this is no April Fools joke - this was my body's joke for me today - irony. Needless to say my hands and feet were really not on my mind today - bigger problems existed. Hopefully the rest of the weekend is un-eventful. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Busy Thursday - kinda

Rob and the kids got up around 7AM but I went back to bed and slept until 8AM. We had breakfast and I did some laundry and sorted one basket before we decided to get dressed. We went down to the pier this morning and went to the children's museum and build-a-bear (the kids got gift cards for their birthdays). We got to the pier just after the museum opened and I have never seen it that crowded. We were able to do the kids favorite exhibits and then we had to take a break and come back to do the rest. Nick loves the water area and Ellie loves the climbing ropes. We went to build-a-bear and Nick chose a puppy and Ellie a pink bear with a ipod speaker in it. Nick got a Hop song inserted that sings I want candy. Nick named his Fluffy puppy (better than Doggie Beef from last year) and Ellie Rocky the Rock Star. We decided to eat lunch and chose the Italian restaurant at the pier. It wasn't bad food - we had to play games with Nick's food to make him eat. After lunch we went back to the museum to visit the exhibits we weren't able to get into during the morning. We departed and tried to find parking at Lincoln park zoo but that didn't happen - we circled a couple times and nothing was available and I wasn't paying for parking. Nick fell asleep during our circling and stayed asleep a bit after we got home. We just sort of hung out this afternoon. Rob started to trim out the basement cabinet - just installing the luan to the back made the piece come together. Ellie played on the computer and Nick played with Thomas. We decided to get ice cream for a late afternoon snack at our favorite place. We were the only people there and the guy behind the counter just kept giving us samples - love it. I have so much ice cream eating to make up for and I am doing a wonderful job at it this spring break. We stopped into Target to pick up Tangled and some milk. We came home and had bath time and then PJs went on. Ellie and Rob watched Wipeout while Nick and I watched Tangled. We first had to look for Tangled because Nick couldn't recall where he put the dvd when we came inside - 20 minutes later we found it tucked in next to the tv. We re-heated some pizza and watched the first half of the movie. Bedtime was a bit longer this evening because of the afternoon nap. Rob is going to opening day at Wrigley tomorrow afternoon and I have appointments for the kids to have their physicals and Nick to get a haircut - we might squeeze Hop into our day too. My hands are still thirsty for moisture and seem to easily get scrapes and cuts. My feet are really not happy with me right now. I think it is time for a new pair of gym shoes. Wondering if it is so bad that I have been able to not take an ativan in exchange for a glass of wine at bedtime? Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Spring break Wednesday

Okay, so I never got tired last night. Somewhere around 1AM I gave into an ativan in hopes that it might bring on the sleepies. I went up to bed around 2:30AM and was able to fall asleep by 3AM. Sometime during the night Nick climbed in our bed and he crawled in on the side instead of in the middle - made for weird sleep. We were all up around 7AM - Rob left for a job and the kids and I had breakfast. I gave the kids their bath and got them dressed. I did some laundry - all vacation clothes are now clean. We got our change together and made out way to the kids bank - they had to get their birthday treats. We deposited their birthday money and change and they got to pick something from the treasure chest and got a free scoop of ice cream from our favorite ice cream store. We went over to Mom's house to play with Tony and Mom. Nick and Tony played and shared so well. Ellie did some new craft thingy Mom had picked up and then decided to play with the boys. We snacked on some cheese from the farm yesterday and fruit. We went in to have some lunch and Ellie watched Princess Protection while the boys played with Easter egg blow ups and trains. Nick got to watch an episode of Oswald and then we were on our way home - T needed to take a nap. Rob was back when we got home. I switched laundry loads and Ellie played with Barbies while Rob played trains with Nick. We made our way to Red Robin for Ellie's birthday re-do. I have to say, they totally made amends tonight and are back on our favorite list again. Our meal was free tonight as part of the re-do. Our waitress was awesome and assured us we would never have an experience like we did again at their location. Dinner came and the food was possibly tastier than normal. Dessert time was the icing on the cake - literally. I think the entire staff came out to sing to Ellie as well as Red Robin himself. They had a cake for Ellie and sundaes for Nick and Ellie and a handful of balloons. Ellie couldn't stop smiling. Here is the plug - Red Robin Skokie is awesome! We came home and Nick lost his balloon to the wind and freaked out - total meltdown on the front lawn. We came in and got PJs on and watched the kids play with all of Ellie's balloons. We watched the Middle and then we got the kids upstairs for bed. Another not to long night - Nick isn't quite himself not sure if he is getting molars or is getting sick. Rob and I watched our nighttime tv and he just went up to bed. I have been slathering lotion on my hands all day and they still look and feel extremely dry. My feet don't seem to be so actively peeling anymore - one or two spots but not too bad. We are toying with going downtown tomorrow to the children's museum and possibly the zoo - looks like it might be the best day of the reaming days of break. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy 4th Birthday Nick

So I went to get into the bed at the hotel last night (Rob decided to sleep with Nick) and I was feeling for the bed and found hair. Ellie's head was at the foot of the bed and her legs were hanging off the side - I truly cannot believe how much either of the kids can move in their sleep. I adjusted her back to the pillow and got her the glass of water she asked for - I noticed Nick was sideways in bed so I re-positioned him too. I didn't take an ativan last night and it took me about an hour to fall asleep but I was able to stay asleep. We shall see tonight - I haven't taken one yet and its past 11PM and I am still not really tired. Nick and Rob were up first and went into the living room to watch tv - Ellie and I slept about another 10 minutes after they got up. We got dressed and brushed teeth and hair and went down for breakfast. We sang to Nick - he covered his face in shame. I forgot to mention when Nick was telling all the hotel guests about my alcohol consumption last night he also was entertaining them with Steve Miller, repeatedly singing, I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker. I am quite sure the people around us contemplated calling DCFS - Mom who drinks 'alcohol' everyday, little boy singing Joker - oh it was great to see all the looks. I guess this would be the problem with ipods and random play. We ate breakfast and went back up to then room to let the kids run off some steam and pack up. I did some research on things to do on our way home today and looked up directions to do a loop of downtown Indy. We packed up and loaded the car. We traveled to downtown and I showed the kids the things that always stuck in my head as Indy memories - the huge war memorial roundabout, union station, the stadium. We got on the road and the kids were about done with the whole we've been in the car a bunch in the past 5 days - lots of bickering and yelling today. We stopped about 90 miles from Indy to get gas and coffee. Next stop was Fair Oaks Farm - we decided not to do the birthing adventure (yes, apparently you can watch calves being born) but we did go to the cheese store and got to watch the packaging and try some samples. Ellie and I did like a couple of the cheeses and we picked up a few to go. We got back in the car and ventured about 30 minutes more to Albanese Candy. They are apparently known for their true to taste gummy bears. They offer a factory tour but not during Easter or Christmas months. We did get to see the factory through some large windows and see a packaging machine and a shaker machine going. They had gummy everything - bears, snakes (about 2' long), army men, butterflies, bunnies. We got some gummy bears, snakes and sweet-tart legos - yes, they actually connect to each other. We headed home after the candy factory and got home mid-afternoon. The kids helped us un-load the car and clean up all the stuff we have accumulated. We couldn't throw anything out because they were all treasures - tickets from the museums, brochures from the places we went - all treasures. I got the laundry separated and started a load - amazing how much clothing we went through in 5 days. We gave Nick his present - the ultra discounted Thomas Misty Island set - he was thrilled and told us how much he really wanted it. Ellie helped Nick take all the pieces out and build the set - Rob helped with track placement. We didn't have lunch so we were all hungry and decided it was going to be an early dinner night. Nick didn't want to go out for his birthday - totally different kids than Ellie. I think Ellie was disappointed that Nick didn't want to go out for his day. We ordered pizza and Nick to a ride to pick it up with me. We stopped in and picked Nick up a hot dog and a strawberry milkshake because even though he has promised us when he turned 4 he would try pizza again he didn't feel like trying it today. We ate dinner and talked about plans for the rest of the week. We had some realizing couch time after dinner and then headed off to Mom and Dad's - Mom had made Nick an orange cake for his birthday. The kids showed off all their treasures and pictures and then we sang and had cake. We changed out Scarlett - she is looking pretty good. We packed up and headed home for bedtime. Nick went to sleep pretty quickly and Ellie wasn't far behind. I talked with our friend, Katie, at Red Robin about our experience for Ellie's birthday and she listened to me vent and then asked us to come in again and let them do a birthday re-do and if we come in tomorrow night she will have Red make an appearance. I got to see the elimination on DWTS and then we watched Parenthood - I am sad because there was an article in the paper this morning about how the show might not make it. It was wonderful to get away but it is nice to be home and still have 5 days left to do whatever we want. My hands are still drinking up lotion very quickly - they are similar to what happens when I clean with bleach. My feet are so happy to have other options than gym shoes. I did finally try my Easy Feet - the slipper that suctions to the tub and has 1,000 bristles and a pumice stone. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite suction securely to our shower but the bristles did feel good. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Mammoth disappointment

I stayed up until around 2 before attempting sleep. Nick had woke up crying a couple times and I just decided to give in and go to bed. We were up early and we had picked up bagels from Panera for breakfast plus we had yogurt and fruit. We packed everything up and were on our way to Mammoth Caves. The drive down was nice - it was bright and sunny out. The flat land quickly turned to rolling hills - it was nice. We stopped at a rest stop to dump garbage and use the restrooms and we found a brochure for the caves. I didn't realize there were only scheduled tour times and we estimated we would be there by 10AM but the family tour wasn't until noon. We continued on and finally got to the park and it was a bit shy of 10AM. The noon tour was a 1.5 hour tour and was "easy" terrain. There isn't a whole bunch to do in the park to waste 2 hours. The caves can only be accessed through tours and the other trails are all above ground. We looked into going to another cave but decided against it. We went to the gift shop and the kids got to see postcards and pictures of the caves. We then ventured North. We stopped in Elizabethtown to take a couple picture of Ellie by the sign. We waved to Julie as we passed the airport. We made our way to Columbus, IN where the owner of Schimpff Candy told us if we had time we should stop in for ice cream. The ice cream parlor, Zaharakos, is a fully re-stored Victorian era parlor - absolutely beautiful. nick had fallen asleep on the ride and I wasn't sure how he was going to wake up but he did fine waking to ice cream. We all had sundaes and they came with extra hot fudge on the side - yummy! We looked at their museum after our treat and the kids got a few trinkets from the gift shop. We stopped at an outlet mall outside Indy but found no bargains. We were going to take the kids downtown Indy to see the building but we were approaching rush hour so we decided to make our way to the hotel instead. We checked in just as 5:30 kickback was starting. We are in the same room as we were in Friday night - -how funny. We went down for drinks and appetizers (which turned out to be dinner because of the amount the kids ate). Funny conversation of the day with Nick: N - Mom, can I have a sip of your drink? Me - No, it has alcohol in it. N- You always have alcohol. You like alcohol. You drink alcohol like everyday. When sharing the conversation with Mom tonight she said it was my mistake to call it alcohol and not an adult beverage. We came back up to the room and then Rob took the kiddos down to the pool. They stayed down there for almost 2 hours - the kids had a bunch of fun. We got PJs on and then watched Dancing with the Stars - Ellie went into the other room to watch Cake Boss. We tucked the kids in but because of Nick's nap it took a bit of time to get him to go to sleep. Rob and I watched some pawn shop show - funny what people think their 'treasures' are worth. Rob went to bed a bit ago and here I sit blogging. It seems like we have been on vacation forever - I guess that is a good thing?!? It will be nice to sleep in our own bed tomorrow night, though. On the agenda tomorrow, to head home and possibly stop in a candy factory along the way. It is Nick's 4th birthday tomorrow and he is super excited - reminding us all day about it. My hands are still just very dry. My feet are really craving to be in shoes other than gym shoes. My gums started to hurt today and currently I am tasting that metal taste and i think they might be bleeding. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Might actually go to bed early

Last night, well early morning, the infamous Ellie cough began (the one where we instantly need to locate a garbage can for her). Ellie woke up early vomiting with a headache - I really thought we had this ibuprofen thing down. Needless to say, we spent the first part of the morning in the hotel room. Rob went down to get coffee with Nick and I made Ellie some mint tea. I finally persuaded her to have a bath and she stayed in the tub for quite some time. We all got dressed and we were off to the science center. Nick was a hot mess most of the day today - I think the lack of sleep has caught up with both of the kids. We got to the museum and they are part of the reciprocal membership program so admission was free. It was interesting, lots of exhibits on the human body and nutrition, fun interactive exhibits and lots of buttons and levers for Nick to play with. When we left the center we went to have lunch. We ate at The Ice Cream and Pie restaurant. Ellie tried a tuna sandwich, Rob had some sort of beef sandwich, I had a cup of soup and Nick had blue raspberry sorbet. We finished lunch and we all got dessert. Ellie tried rocky road for the first time and thinks its her new fave (with birthday party ice cream), Rob tried their Snickers pie and I had the chocolate covered cherry pie - delish. We drove to meet Julie and Karlton (and got a bonus of seeing Julie's sister, Sarah). Karlton is a pilot and he was going to take us to the airport and let the kids sit in his plane and helicopter. Nick was the one who was so excited about this plan all last night and this morning but when we got to the hangar Nick wouldn't leave my side or arms. Ellie and Rob sat in the helicopter and we got some pictures. Karlton showed us how the camera works and tried so hard to get Nick to get involved. We watched a few planes take off and then we separated for a little while. Rob and Karlton went to the woodworking store and Jules, Sarah, the kids and I went to a few consignment stores. Nick was like a bull in a china shop so we went outside to wait and Nick did something funky and immediately began crying about his ankle. We re-grouped and Sarah said goodbye to us and we went to get a drink before heading back to Karlton's house to meet up with the boys. The kids got to run around the yard and enjoy the sunlight for a bit. Julie helped the kids make paper airplanes and nick made a few rolled up findy rolls and then we said goodbye to Julie and Karlton. We came back to the hotel and we went down to the pool. We basically had the entire pool to ourselves for the majority of time. The kids had a great time and they truly didn't want to leave to go to dinner. We came back up to the room and changed and dried hair and tried to find where we wanted to go to eat. I found an area with a bunch of restaurants so we went in that direction and found California Pizza Kitchen had no line and tables available so that is where we went. We had a nice meal together - different food choices. Rob had a really yummy drink and mine wasn't so bad either. We came back to the hotel and got our PJs on and we got ready for bed - the kids really need to make up on sleep tonight. I read some books before we all got into bed and I sang some songs. Rob and I adjourned to the other room and have been listening to tv as we play on the computer. Rob went to sleep a bit ago and I am feeling groggy and might try to go to bed early - its a long driving day tomorrow. Our plan is to head SW to Mammoth Caves and stop in Elizabethtown on the way to take some pics and then back up to Indianapolis - close to 400 miles for the day. I have been feeling pretty good today - my hands are just still very dry and peeling and my feet are a bit sore but manageable. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Saturday in the 'Ville

The kids were up way early this morning - well I guess it was their normal time but we are on EST so it seemed earlier. We got dressed and went down for breakfast - the kids were delighted to find Lucky Charms and donuts at the buffet. We ate and went back to the room to pack up - I had done almost all of it the night before but I needed to pack toiletries and PJs. I checked our route on mapquest and then we were ready to go.
The ride down was pretty - because it is a bit warmer down state some of the trees were already in bloom. We found some things along the way that we might stop in on the way back to Indy. We arrived in Jeffersonville around 11AM and found Schimpff Candy. It was two old store fronts and the front window had a couple of women hand dipping chocolates. When we walked in the smell of cinnamon was in the air - Rob started talking to an older man and it was the owner and he grew up just a few blocks away from us. The kids and I looked around while Rob was talking. They're the makers of cinnamon red hots and gummy products as well as all the chocolates. We ended up getting some bourbon chocolates, some Easter chocolates and one of their signature chocolates - a marshmallow covered in caramel and chocolate.
I called Julie to find out if she was ready for our invasion - she said no quite ready so we went to the Visitor center and the kids posed with the Col (KFC) for a picture. We found some brochures of things/places to visit. We were off to Louisville Slugger factory. Julie and Karlton (we approve) met us there. We had about 40 minutes until our tour began so we looked around the museum and the kids played in the kids area. Nick was pretty good batting left on t-ball. We took the tour - incredible that this all was done by hand not too long ago. We got to see the production from trees being cut down through the logo being placed on the bat - pretty neat.
We all got Louisville Slugger mini bats at the end of the tour.
After the tour we stopped in the gallery which had a Norman Rockwell museum and we discussed food options - we had found a brochure for a place called Lynn's Paradise. The brochure coined it as if Dolly Parton and Salvador Dali were to own a restaurant together Lynn's might be it. We decided to go there and it is the finniest thing - you are going down the street and would never know it is there until you pull up to it. Outside was a whole bunch of playful art and statues and inside was a gift shop with crazy things.
We got seated and the table was not a disappointment - Find Its and mini dinosaurs and crayons. The menu was full of choices - breakfast and lunch items but the Throwndown with Bobby Flay french toast jumped off the menu at me. French toast with chocolate and vanilla bourbon sauce and strawberries - yummy. We had a delightful lunch and a great time catching up and getting to know Karlton. After lunch Julie gave us a scenic tour of her work - amazing how huge the facilities are. We then checked into the hotel and Julie and Karlton went home to get some rest before we met up later this evening for appetizers and drinks.
The hotel is amazing - we inquired when we checked in if they had any suites available because it is nice to have the separate sleeping area and living area and they did have one available and the lady nicely upgraded us. The living room section of our room is its own room - very spacious and nice. Rob told the kids he would take them swimming and I checked to see where the closest grocery store was. Rob and the kids went to swim in the very large pool while I went to the store to pick up appetizers for this evening.
I got back just as they got back from the pool. The kids were going stir crazy waiting for Julie to arrive. We had the most excellent visit - so many laughs and stories. This is the reason Louisville was out spring break destination - to hang out with our awesome friends. Of course, it is a whatever happens in Vegas moment and I cannot disclose what actually was said...
Julie and Karlton left a short time ago - we will meet up with them again tomorrow for a trip to see the helicopter Karlton flies and I am sure some other great things. We are planning on hitting the science museum in the morning and then meet up around lunch time.
I was a bit too busy to notice aches and pains today. My feet reminded me they were attached to my body a few times but my hands were all right. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree