Man O' Man

So this is my hubby (on the left), hard at work. And at work he goes by Trace, not Tracy.

Here's an example as to why he is kind of partial to Trace:

The St Lukes Rehab place called me to set up some appointments for our sweet Luke. He has to see an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a speech therapist, and a peds neuropsychiatrist (didn't even know one of those existed) - all to gage where he is at developmentally speaking (a contrast MRI will follow to check ventricle size in a couple of weeks). So the lady on the phone, Patty, was listing off dates that we can get these different appointments scheduled. I grab my calendar and start writing times down. As I finish, she starts verifying insurance info with me, and I confirm that Tracy is the card holder, give her the social security number and assure her it's our only insurance. Didn't put much thought into it. Honestly, I was just excited to get the ball rolling, so we can get some more answers for Luke.

Anyway, I hang up and start looking at the calendar, making sure there are no conflicts - when the phone rings. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hello?

Patty: Sheri?

Me: Yes...

Patty: This is Patty. Um...Okay. (Her uneasiness was growing). I don't know how to...Um...Okay...I am not sure how to say this, but I need to ask so I can input it in the system correctly. Is Tracy the FATHER of Luke or his other...M-M-MOTHER? (She's almost whispering at this point).

Me: (Laughing hysterically, trying to concentrate enough to get the answer out). HHEEEE'S the F-A-THER. Bwuahahahahaha.

Patty: I am so sorry. But I couldn't tell - I always thought "Tracy" was a girl's name - and well, you never know...

Me: (Tears are rolling down my face now...) Ya, I used to think so too.

Patty: Ohhh yaaaa, there's that singer that is named Tracy, and that's a guy. I am soooo sorry.

Me: Don't worry about it. It happens more often than you think.

And the conversation ends.

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Lesson 1. Pay more attention when giving out insurance information, ensuring that they know the correct gender BEFORE hanging up the phone.

Lesson 2. Try not to laugh too hard in order to limit the embarrassment of the medical receptionist.

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Hahahahaha - okay, who am I kidding? That was hilarious, and I am laughing with tears as I type this.

Poor Trace. Poor poor Tracy. Good thing he's my hot manly MAN:)

1 Month

It's actually been 1 1/2 months since my surgery. So far so good. No pictures - not brave enough to post those yet. Maybe when I hit my six month mark, I will post them. Maybe.

My thoughts so far...

1. The surgery wasn't near as painful as I thought it would be. Me and pain pills don't get along, so I thought it might be rough going. BUT - they found something that worked. Really, really good. Dilaudid (hydromorphone). Go figure - I'm allergic to codeine and vicodin, but bring out the morhpine, 'cause there's no problem here :) Except for the weird, very vivid dreams I had - the kind that feel so real it's a little scary. Especially when I am dreaming that I am a special ops officer in Afghanistan doing hand to hand combat (go ahead laugh). Not a good dream to have by the way. I learned very quickly to not skip the phenergan dose. It's supposed to help with nausea - but it also knocked me out enough that I don't remember my dreams. Now if I could only erase the special ops one, life would be better. Seriously, remembering how real it felt when a guy's neck broke in my hands, or warm blood - Creeped. Me. Out.

2. Anesthesia - now that's a different story. The few times I have had it before, there's never been a positive experience. When the Anesthesiologist came and ask questions right before my surgery, he asked what my reactions have been. I told him it made me really sick. So he loaded me up with some versed (happy juice that made me not care), fentanyl (to help counteract the pain I was about to incur), and zofran (to help with nausea). After the surgery, when I finally came out of it, I quickly realized that the zofran did jack. I warned the nurses that I was gonna hurl. And you know what they did? They shoved an aspirator tube thingy in my mouth. Ya, like that was going to catch anything. I hurled. Blood. Everywhere. I remember thinking not ever wanting to do that again - throwing up just after you had your stomach stapled is not a good feeling. Quite painful actually. If they tried to move me, I felt like throwing up again - so it took me a few more hours in recovery than what was considered "normal". So the kicker? The next day, as I was able to sort of get up and move around, I looked on the side of the bed where I had turned my head to hurl and made a discovery. Let's just say they didn't clean up very well. I blame it on the fact that it was a man nurse. Unfair? Maybe - but in my experience, men don't notice those details as much as women do. It is the same man nurse, his name is Mike by the way, that didn't believe me that my vein blew. I paged him THREE times, and he always sent his CNA with a warm blanket to wrap around the IV site. At change of shift, I showed the new nurse, Whitney, and she changed my IV. I wound up with a blood-clot (nothing bad, just super painful) thanks to that man nurse. Grrr.

3. Recovery - The Dr said plan on 4-6 weeks for recovery. After 2 weeks, I could start lifting things. So, I thought, I'm young - I should be able back no normal in no time flat. I've had 4 babies. Well I was wrong. The Dr knew what he was talking about (who knew?). Recovery was slow, and it took me about 3 weeks to be able to pick things up. I guess I had a bleed where one of the tools were, and I required lots of stitches that tugged and pulled inside. So the right side of my belly was really painful. I think at about a month, I started feeling much better. Good enough to start working out 6 days a week. And now (6weeks out), I have to say - I feel better than I did even before the surgery. I have energy (still need a little nap though) and I feel great when I am up and moving about.

4. Food. It hasn't been that bad, even through the holidays where people bring goody plates and have feasts. It wasn't that hard not to be able to eat what everyone else was. But now? I am missing bread. Bagels actually - the cinnamon raisin kind from Costco that my kids eat for breakfast. And popcorn - which I wasn't ever crazy about before, but I guess since I can't have it, my mind wants me to believe how great of a thing I am missing. I can't have grains, bread/carbs until I have lost 75% of my goal and popcorn...who knows. I went to the nutritionist at my 1 month check-up and she said I wasn't getting enough protein. So I have three small meals (protein with a few bites of fruit or veggies) and then a protein shake at night. I think I have perfected the protein shake. Protein powder either comes in chocolate or vanilla. So, I chose vanilla. It has such a strong taste and is a little too sweet for my liking. I tried mixing it with milk, greek yogurt (for more protein) and strawberries - but there was still the weird vanilla taste. I was complaining about to my brother Aaron and he recommended to try banana with it. It helps mask the vanilla protein flavor and helps with the texture. My brother is brilliant. I added about 1/4 of a banana to the mix and threw in 2 ice cubes and I have found something that tastes great - a real smoothie - that I can drink and get 15 - 20 grams of protein as well.

5. Weight? I lost 14 lbs in the first week. In the first month, I lost a total of 32 lbs. I am starting to see a difference. The other day, I fit into a shirt that I haven't worn in almost 4 years. And when I say "fit", I mean really fit - no tightness or pulling. You know what? It felt awesome. I am making progress. My weight-loss has slowed down quite a bit in the last 2 weeks. I am losing, but not as fast as I would like. I also have been working out. I have managed 6 times a week for the last two weeks. I haven't done that in a very long time. I am hoping the weight will start dropping a little faster now that my muscles are getting used to this new thing called exercise.

Overall - I feel great. I have a desire to exercise and eat right as well as read and do my hobbies. I feel a little bit more alive and in control. I like it.

Old Photograph

(Greg, Toynette, Vicki, Eva Lou with Lyneva on her lap)

I love old photographs - it links us to our past.

And to our future. Aleana sure reminds me of my mom.

Twenty - Eleven

Well this past year has come and gone. And I think we packed about as much as one can in a year.

We tuned in to watch the ball drop in NY, and as it fell - the kids cheered, the hubby swung Hannah around, and I cried. Yep, cried - real tears and everything. The cheering turned into silence, the kids exchanged looks of confusions with each other and their Dad.

Why is mom crying this time?

Now to be honest, I was just as surprised as they were. It seemed to come way out of left field. I was completely unprepared. At first, I think they were tears of relief. 2010 is FINALLY over. We have been tried and stretched much further than I ever imagined. And then as that feeling of relief passed, I was overcome by a strong sense of gratitude. For as many crazy things that have happened - we have received far greater in blessings.

I purposely didn't set any resolutions for 2010. I think it may have been because I was too pregnant. I knew the year would be about survival, having a sweet baby boy join our family. But it has been far more than surviving - having learned more of life's lessons than I can count.

So for 2011 - I think it's time for some new goals. Fresh year, fresh start. I have heard many different approaches to setting these resolutions. Pick a word or words to become. Try to set a goal for each perspective of your life. Don't set any resolutions that can't be achieved. Write them down.

And I figure I can do a little bit of everything, since really, it all kind of ties together. Here it goes:

Words of the year:

1. Quiet - I just want a quiet year. I am sure it will be busy and hectic and things will come that are out of my control. But in what I CAN control - I want a quiet, simple life.

2. Balance - This goes right along with quiet. I need to find a better balance. A balance between work and play. A balance between my husband and kids. And a balance between all that is required of me as a mom, and what I need just for me. And a balance between me and my relationship with my Savior.

Perspectives of Life:

1. Physical - I kind of got an early start on that in December (so far so good). I want to exercise at least 5 times a week to help keep and build muscle mass as my body shrinks (I love that word).

2. Mental - I want to study one subject a month. It could be a person, an era in history, a culture. But something different each month. When I actually get the time to sit down and read - I find myself craving more. Maybe this is a way to be more effective about it. I was also thinking that I could maybe blog about it. We'll see how it goes.

3. Spiritual - Daily scripture study. I used to be really good at this, and then I had kids. Things change and there is a season for everything. But my soul needs this. It aches, and I know it is because I need to be closer to my Savior.

4. Emotional - Keep a journal. Write my thoughts down. I used to keep a daily journal. I wrote in it everyday from the time I was 12 to after I turned 19 (hmmm - right around the time I started dating Tracy. He was too much of a distraction).

Now that I have set goals, the question keeps coming to my mind of how I am going to achieve them. Yes, having a plan will help. I have actually put a lot of thought into this. I have tried to come up with a hundred different options, just to avoid the ONE option that I know will work. Alas, nothing really compares the the best option, even if it means GREAT sacrifice on my part. And the best option is? Waking up 1 to 1 1/2 hours earlier than the kids. Eeek. Did I mention that I am not a morning person? Sigh. I think this will be the hardest part. I know that if I get up earlier that will allow me to actually work on the goals I have set. It will give me time to have scripture study - to ponder and reflect. It allow me to have some quiet in my life. It will give me personal time to work on me. It will allow me to exercise and shower without interruption. I could even journal about the day before when I am actually rested - so I won't have to rush through it.

See, it all kind of ties together.

Now I know I won't be able to do all of it everyday, but I gotta start somewhere. And hopefully next New Year's Eve, when I cry it will not only be because of gratitude, but also from a sense of accomplishment.