Tomatoes

Another month?!
Sheesh!?
Well, it is less than a week before Christmas (yeah, I did want to write X-mas!!!) and I am just not as full of the holiday spirit as I should be. I mean, comon. Christmas is just CRAZY-time. Go out and shop like you don't have any sense-time.
At least I'm excited for the kids. They are really getting juiced up for the holiday. Lots of trying to be good and "Santa's watching" stuff.
Star Wars is really big around our house, now too. Last night, I put the boys to bed and about an hour later, 2 sleepy boys walk in to the bedroom as ask (totally seriously), "Momma, what is your Jedi name?"
I love boys!
Happy Happy
Healthy Healthy
Fa-la-la-la-Laaaaaa!!

Shaking

Long time.
Real long time.
Since June we've been back to Maryland. Everyone is just fine. We had a fun (although if we heard, "It's not the heat....we were gonna scream!) We spent 3 weeks in the end of July and early August.
Then...
We MOVED!

Go figure.
Here's the short story-
Kathy and Larry (Garth's parents) purchased a house in Oregon. Their house in Vallejo wasn't in any shape to sell so, they asked if we would move in to the house to help them our financially while they get it ready to go on the market.
So
We're now residents of Vallejo
BIG change from San Rafael. In many ways, it is SO much better. There is a LOT more diversity, people are more friendly, and over-all it is a much more family friendly community.
The down side is that you have to answer questions like, "Momma, why does that man have a watch on his leg?"
-Well son, he is on house arrest.
sigh.
We also got a new dog.
He is a rescue from Smiley Dog Rescue and he's a pit bull. Yeah, we LOVE the underdogs.
His name is JJ and he is about a year and a half old.
Sage is still around and SO happy to have a nice young friend.

Moving

So, a few things
1. After a rather typical MaCo, but none the less disturbing interaction at a local park, we've decided that we are giving MaCo a year and then we are outta here (if not sooner) I won't go into the details of the interaction, but here is a sample of what she was like. She was carrying on about how her 2009 fully loaded Honda Odyssey Touring was a "cheap" car. A "piece of junk that she won't drive for long" She prefers "luxury" vehicles...gag....ack!
2. The other day I saw a guy driving a Prius (alone-everyone in Maco drive solo.) flick his ciggy butt out of the window to the side of the road. I was like, "did that just really happen?" Talk about unclear on the concept....
3. The boob-job and tummy tuck look awesome. Actually, I still have a Franken-belly, but it is pretty flat!!
4. My oldest "graduates" from Pre-K tomorrow. I had no idea that one "'graduated" from Pre-K. I mean, I understand the importance of acknowledging these sort of life transitions, but "graduation"....
That's it...I'm out!

Bush

Hey
So I saw this on a bumper sticker today.
"When Bush took office, gas was $1.46 a gallon"
We are paying $4.29 for it here in MaCo.

Sick

I'm just trying to get my head around this.
So, my husband has a cold. I've said it a million times...my husband turns into a superhero when he gets sick. He becomes Baby-Man. You follow?
Now, he has been sick with a cold for about 4 days and I SWEAR-he has been able to get more sleep and no kid time in the past 4 days than I did the 4 days after my surgery. And I was in the hospital overnight.
Yeah. A real superhero

Post-op W3

So I am 3 weeks out from surgery. Dr D'Amore assures me that I am healing nicely. Personally, I feel a bit itchy. Yeah, I guess the itching means that I am healing. The sisters look pretty nice. Not nearly as high and big as they were a couple of weeks ago. I am still looking a bit like Franken-belly. Things are still swollen and overall looking kinda strange. But can I just tell you--the belly is so much flatter than before.
Yeah-I'm still REALLY happy with the results!

Drop-Off

OK, so this is totally for reals MaCo stuff.
Today I'm dropping off my soon to be 5 year-old. I see one of the other Moms dropping off her twin daughters. Since my father's illness, she has been pretty friendly to me so I do a quick stop-and-chat.
Lemme give you some back story on her first. So one other morning we were chatting and she was asking me the "how do you do it?" question referring to my husband working very long hours and me carrying the bulk of the child caring load. My standard answer is that I just "keep on keeping on." Then she tells me, "Yeah, me too. I mean, having a nanny and daytime and a nighttime housekeeper helps, but really-I do pretty much everything."
--OK, so after the nanny is watching the kids (and what does a full-time nanny do while the kids are daycare? The grocery shopping?!) and the housekeepers keep the house, what IS it that she actually does?!
So then I'm thinking...maybe she was JOKING--Yes, she must have been joking.
Then today, I realize. She WASN'T joking.
Anyway, so today I ask, "How was your Mother's Day?"
Can I just tell you, she was SO HAPPY that I asked.
She tells me that she got
A new Mac Air and...
iTV and...
iTouch

Yeah. Then she starts complaining that now she is going to have to spend all this time learning how to use a Mac.
And I was thrilled with my Kirkland Signature 16 piece stainless steel cookware set.

Post-op W1

OK, these post-op bindings are so tight. I feel like a sausage. How do women wear girdles? Why do women wear girdles? Yeah, I'm starting to get all whiny-I'll stop. I really am happy with the results.

Cop

I won't cop any lame story. I've been lazy and busy all at once. (why not lasy and busy or lazy and buzy--anywhoooo)
I've got to do some catching up...

Late-March
We returned to San Rafael after being in Maryland helping my parents for 2 1/2 months. My father is recovering nicely and my mother now has him washing the dishes since he can no longer mow the lawn.
Garth and I reconnect. [insert lame 70's porno music here] Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Actually, I think that the toxic build up of annoying things that we do to each other subsided and we become more forgiving (or forgetful) and get along like we were dating.
The boys get back into their routines--gymnastics, pre-K, day care, otter pops, playdates, Tivo'd children's shows, "mine!" "Mine!" "MINE!!!"
A week after our return, my father is rushed to the hospital in the early morning. He is experiencing shortness of breath and generally feeling lousy. He stays overnight and is discharged with some new meds. A few days later he gets a stomach flu and loses more weight. He is better after 3-4 days but weak. Well, not so weak that he can't drive....

April
I contact my plastic surgeon regarding my lovely umbilical hernia and diastasis recti. Yeah, as it turns out-THAT is why 2 years after having my last child, I continue to look like I am 5 months pregnant. We schedule my surgery (did I mention the BOOB-JOB, too!!!!) and the pre-op stuff begins.
I have my surgery and WOW!!! What a difference. As it turns out, I had to have a complete abdominal reconstruction because my abdomen was so screwed up. I now have a new belly button, mesh installed in my abdominal cavity ("This is one of the worst cases, Paisley. My doctor is Italian so use the accent when you imagine him speaking. It is like, Peez-leeh. You only have intestine here, then thin bit of tissue and some skin. You are very lucky not to rupture your abdomen.) and my old tummy back. The mermaid tattoo did suffer a bit of damage..
And the BOOBS....yes, you are wondering about them, no?!
I did get silicone implants. Nothing big. I believe he (Dr, D'Amore-no, I'm not KIDDING, his name is D'Amore!!!) refers to them as a "sporty look." For those of you who like numbers they are 225cc's..or small B's...I just like to call them "sporty" and man, they are perky little ladies, lemme tell you.....
My father continues to improve. Now he and my mother are starting to bicker about each other, so things are pretty much back to normal...

May
Well, May just started and the weather is a bit cool for my tastes. I am thinking about returning to work but as a professional organizer instead of a therapist. They can charge about the same hourly rate and I don't have to worry about all the ucky stuff that I have to deal with as a therapist. I'm going to keep my license current, so I can go back to counseling or do it on the side. For now, with the kids and Garth working so much-this just looks like a good fit for us.
Can you believe that the median (yeah, median--not average) price for a home in MaCo is $800,000. WTF?!?!
My oldest has a birthday on the 17th. He will be 5. Can you even believe it?! FIVE!!! As my brother said, "He now fills up a whole hand."

dPod

At least that is what we have decided to call it.
My father had a defibrillator installed on his heart today. We decided that dPod sounds a lot cooler and lest dramatic.
So, it looks like our stay in Maryland may be coming to a close. The doctors are speculating that my father can leave hospital tomorrow or Saturday.
I can't wait to get home
to my husband's lovin' arms...
I will miss the Mac and cheese though.....

Cleanse

Can I just tell you that there really is something about food that is prepared by old African-Americans?
I swear, I feel such a rush when Mrs. Eley brings over one of those huge aluminium foil pans full of home made macaroni and cheese. There is just something about the grease. Yum!!
That and the cornbread. My boys are now asking my parents' friends at the door if they've got any cornbread with them. They want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
So do I
I keep telling myself that I will do a "Cleanse" when I get back home to clean me out from all of this food...

Church

There are some fairly entertaining aspects to being back home in Cheverly, MD.
There is church. Like ast week when the Gospel-aires performed (is that the right word?) Yeah, they had a drummer and a guy on electric keyboards (sounding like a bass) I mean, the music was always my favorite part of going to church, but sometimes they just made me giggle. Like when the minister did his pitch for Obama.
Yah
church

Long

Sheesh!
Has it really been that long-- November!
Well, I guess it is time for me to get back in there and blog.
So much has happened. I'm not sure if I want to re-cap or just start where I am at.
Haile, Satchel and I are in Maryland. My father had a heart attack on Jan 16th and we've been here since Jan 18th. He has a few terrible infections in his blood that make him highly contagious and very sick. He got out of the ICU about a week ago and is now in what they call the Telemetry Unit recovering. He is still really sick, and progress is slow, but at least it is progress.
Meanwhile, the boys and I are in Maryland. Remembering all of the reasons why I left Maryland. Like when it rains ice. Like it did last night and this morning. Haile is thrilled to find icles all over the place. I'm not so thrilled.