may days

You may recall that Murphy S. Law moved in last month.  We posted his eviction notice, but... the saga continues.

They say you don't know what you've got til it's gone.  Well, in my case, I didn't know what a crappy dishwasher we had until I got a new one.  It stands to reason that appliance technology has come a long way in 10 years, but I guess I didn't know what I was missing.  I don't have to wash dishes anymore before putting them in the dishwasher.  There's a novel idea!

Between the appliance apocalypse, my grandfather's passing, and Hayes's car needing repairs, I thought April had finished with us.  Not so much.

4/28 - Monday afternoon - I fell ill with some sort of stomach ailment.  I wasn't sure what the problem was but it was definitely something out of the ordinary.  By the time Hayes got home from work, I was doubled over and couldn't escape the pain in my abdomen.  It wasn't the correct side for appendicitis, but it wasn't your run of the mill sour stomach either.  It got to the point that we called in our reinforcements and Hayes took me to the emergency room.  Mind you, I have never been a patient in a hospital beyond childbirth, so it had to be bad for me to request the ER. 

We arrived at Vanderbilt at about 7:30pm and went through triage, billing, and a whole lot of waiting until I finally got a bed at 11pm.  Honestly, I don't remember much because I was in so much pain that that's all I remember.  Tests, ultrasounds, a few winks after morphine kicked in.... finally at about 2 am, the doctor came in saying that a CT scan had revealed a kidney stone the size of a Tic-Tac.  More tests and more waiting revealed a treatment plan.  So now I have a stent to help heal a fissure and its infection, and then in a few weeks I'll go back to blast out the stone.  Who knew a tic-tac could be more painful than childbirth!?

The procedure is a complete blur.  I remember having a conversation with the anesthesiologist and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in recovery with a very sweet nurse offering me a coke.  YES PLEASE! It had been 18 hours since I was able to eat or drink anything. I didn't even stop to think about the irony of drinking a coke after a kidney procedure.  Peter and Davis have both told me they think this happened because I drink too much Coke.  Touche'. 

So here I sit, finally beginning to feel normal again.  I suppose in the grand scheme of things, this is hardly an ailment about which to complain.  Suffice it to say, the whole family was very eager for May.... with good reason. Sunshine!  Outside! Camping! Handy new hiking backpacks with a built-in water bottle!  Now there's no reason to go inside.  Ever.  It's not like the air conditioners are behaving.  As I type it's 83 degrees upstairs.  (Hello, Murphy.  Always a pleasure an adventure.)

the curls!

davis has mastered the art of pumping his own swing.  we're all pretty excited about that. 

best buddies

best buddies, part 2

dollface

matty insists he's big enough for the real slide.  none of that little tikes business.

it's that time again!  after the last baby bird debacle, i did my best to protect these babies from harm.  unfortunately, as they fled the nest, chief was waiting for the weakest flier.  at least he finally caught something, poor dog. 

we now have a nebulizer and we are ready for the next cold.  sweet baby boy just goes to sleep.

easter 2014, before any arguing

the first campout of the summer

supervising while i spread pine straw

some people find change in their laundry.  i find baby pinecones and rocks. 

crooked little smile

after three boys, the baby gate finally gave way - and took a piece of drywall with it.  is this a metaphor for my life?

Davis and Matthew are out of school, and Peter goes to school two more days, though there likely isn't going to be much schooling going on.  Next week begins the three ring circus known as summer camp, when I have to be at least two places at once at least once a day.  I'll just have to add that to my list of superpowers!