pain and suffering

hi everybody.  I’m back.  sorry I abandoned posting for a while… I could make excuses but, honestly, I just haven’t felt like it.

It has been a long few months since the wreck in July but I think I’m finally out of the fog.  I went back to work the last week in October, a full month later than expected due to extremely creaky, sore hands and forearms.  I do not do well in that much limbo for that long… if it had been a permanent change it might have been easier/different, but mainly I felt cooped up, bored, and crabby.  I spent a lot of time with Cora, and a lot of time by myself as we still kept the (hyperbolically amazing) nanny employed 2 days a week.  I ate a lot of lunch out by myself, got caught up on all the sushi intake I’ve missed since I married Henry (who seriously mis-represented his love-or lackthereof- for japanese food when we were engaged).  I’ve read half-a-dozen new books, and re-read a couple old ones.  I spent a ridiculous amount of time perusing the internet brainstorming “ideas”.  I have been sewing up a literal storm… Cora has several new dresses, and so do I.  (—one of these days there will be some sewing posts up.)

Anyway, I’ve managed to keep myself occupied, but it isn’t the same as being in the usual routine of having days “on” and days “off.”  I’m deliriously happy to be back in the ER, humming around in the hypo-manic caffeinated buzz I’m usually in at work. And with my friends, who are special to me in that we have the shared daily experiences of things like doing cpr on dead people, and wiping butts and restraining psychotic crazy people.  The team mentality is the best part of my job, and I genuinely missed those folks when I wasn’t there for all those months.

What else?  We went to Washington D.C. and Williamsburg, VA for the extremely lovely wedding weekend of Henry’s brother and sister-in-law, which was a blast.  Pictures below.  Also, Cora turned 2 on the 22nd of October and we had an terrific celebration day that involved a trip to a fish hatchery up the gorge and trout for lunch in the old stone house below multnomah falls.  And cupcakes with Cora’s little best friends, Simon and Maggie (“Sim!” and “Ma-ddie”).  Altogether a wonderful week, full of family and relaxing and time together.

And I cut Cora’s hair for the first time, just before the trip.  Henry was hor.rif.fied.  I think it looks pretty good, although I accidentally left a rat-tail (…aw…nostalgia for east texas, anyone?) that had to be whacked off a few days later.  She had the beginnings of some nice dreadlocks, which simply aren’t becoming on toddlers.  I don’t think, anyway.

So, life is good.  There are lots of crazy things on the horizon for us… we’re debating the why, when and wherefore of adding another child to our family (i.e. to adopt or have another biological one).  I’m starting grad school (family nurse practitioner) on January 11th, and have yet to figure out where I will get the time to make it happen, and also the scratch to pay for it.  (I am equally averse to taking out loans or hitting the savings account.  Why can’t school just be free?)  I’m also cooking up plans for a trip to south america this winter.  Maggie called off her wedding to Mohit (though they are still together), and I had vacation time and money set aside, not to mention my heart pretty well set on, a trip to third-world warmer-climes this winter.  So, I’m thinking Central America for a week and a half in February.  We’ll see if it actually happens.

I could say a lot more, but maybe I’ll save it and post something again sometime rather sooner than later.

ok, pictures:

a hipstamatic shot of cora and henry just before the wedding

colonial williamsburg.  both creepy (i.e. black people dressed up as slaves?  eh?  really?) and pretty cool.  and a gorgeous fall day, to boot.

henry and cora at the national zoo, eating a ridiculously good picnic of fancy cheese/salami/baguette, apples and high-end artisan chocolate (and, meh: I don’t see what all the fuss is about.  the pretty package was the best part.)  we saw the panda bears, and my favorite part of the day was Cora me-yowing loudly at the lion, and proclaiming him to be a “big tat.”

another hipstamatic print.  …and, doesn’t my husband look nice in plaid?

lord have mercy.  this is the story of my life right now.  I am desperately trying to wean her off of her once-weekly (or thereabouts) nursing session, and she is obsessed with my boobs.  hand down the shirt every opportunity she gets.  she is asking, very articulately, if she can “snuggle a boo boo” or “I ‘anna nurse!” and even asking for “sips” and “a yittle bit”.  funny, and intensely aggravating.  and, as evidenced above, no respect for me in public.  here we are in the air and space museum, admiring all the “aa-panes” and rockets and whatnot.  dr. sears can go to hell, in my opinion.  the next child (if they are biological) will be weaned much, much earlier.  and will hopefully have no idea that the booboo’s ever belonged to her by the week of her 2nd birthday.

here these crazies are feeding the fish at the hatchery.  I feel like an idiot for not taking any decent pictures of Cora with her other grandparents… the professional photographer took a bunch of beautiful family photos, and I left it at that.  but, anyway, here are Mimi and Bubba.

licking the icing off, with sweet maggie standing by.  cora officially idolizes maggie.  she is the most hilarious, articulate, affectionate friend cora has, and she and simon figure into cora’s daily discussion of what she thinks we ought to be doing.

one last shot of simon, maggie and cora.  fall is officially here, folks, and rapidly giving way to winter.  I am loving it.

 

ok, I think that is enough for now.  geez.  if anyone is still reading, I promise to post again soon.