Archive for the ‘Random’ Category

In the first trimester of my pregnancy, the life inside you seems fragile and needs to be protected and the actual “birth” seems far away and TERRIFYING (well it did for me anyway). For the first trimester I had to avoid any reality shows that showed what happened in the delivery room – I was really scared, scared of the pain, scared of that big baby coming out of that tiny opening. Yes, the birthing bed seemed a horrifying place.

During the second trimester, as my bump grew I learned how to share my pregnancy. People asked questions, pregnancy was no longer something I could put on the back burner. Labor was still on the horizon but still far away and still a bit scary.

Near the end of my third trimester I went from “I’m scared of Labor” to “let’s get it done.” The closer we get to the end of this journey, the more uncomfortable I am. It’s harder and harder to get comfortable in bed, the baby doesn’t seem to have enough room in there and so he’s constantly moving and shifting trying to find a cozy spot. One night the baby was so restless, I didn’t think I would ever get to sleep and then Ben, my big snugly dog, put his head on my very pregnant belly and the most amazing thing happened – the baby settled down and went to sleep (so I did too shortly thereafter). Ben was definitely earning his keep!

A few days after my weekly check up I noticed that I had some sort of hives, everywhere. I was covered all over my body except for on my face and my palms! I even had them on the soles of my feet. In a panic I called the doctor’s office where I was diagnosed with PUPPS pregnancy rash. (PUPPS is a cute acronym for something that doesn’t feel very cute at all.) I was also told that I needed to avoid taking medication if at all possible.

The closest experience I’ve had to PUPPS outside of childhood illnesses are medication reactions, but even then you take meds and it’s over in a day or two. I went out and spent a small fortune on Oatmeal products to calm the itching, soaks, body wash, the whole nine yards. They all offered temporary relief but the itching always came back. I didn’t realize how much I relied on products like Benedryl for situations like this until that option was off the table.

Getting comfortable at night was hard before PUPPS, afterward it seemed almost impossible. I flopped and flipped and tried not to scratch all night long. I woke myself up rubbing my legs together like a cricket trying to stop the itching without actually scratching. It was awful, and then relief came from the most unlikely of places!

Beth had been nesting and reading all the appropriate books and so she and John put together and send me a package of goodies for my hospital stay. (Yes, there was a sweet card which caused me to cry – happy tears, just a little!) In that box she included Peppermint Foot Lotion. I laughed at the time, as I hadn’t really seen my feet in weeks, but I still put some on my feet almost immediately. (I love that peppermint smell!)

I was curled up on the sofa reading when I realized something – my feet weren’t itching. I slathered myself in the peppermint foot lotion and almost immediately two things happened. The first was that I started to feel like I had a chill, something about peppermint oil was apparently cooling. More importantly though, the itching seemed to go away!

The next day I sent Beth a jubilant email, thanking her so much and telling her about how her Peppermint Foot lotion was my miracle cure! I could almost hear her laughter when she emailed me back to tell me how happy she was to have given me some relief. I was covered almost head to toe in Peppermint Lotion and feeling better than I had since the emergence of those wretched PUPPS!

I felt so much better I forgot completely about them, until Tim came into my office and after a few minutes of chatting he asked -

“Do you smell peppermint?”

I laughed.

I have a friend that I don’t talk about very often because we have the oddest relationship ever, I call him Uncle Jerry because he is 20 years older than me and on some level I know that if we weren’t “family” our relationship probably wouldn’t make much sense. Jerry tends bar at the sports bar that I have frequented off and on, since I was old enough to drink – it’s a hole in the wall, but they have pool tables and dart boards and it’s not a “meet market.” I like him because he is a practitioner of, what I call, the Southern Art of Story Telling. You can take Jerry down the road so he can pick up a newspaper and when you get back he tells this epic story that makes it sound like a quest worthy of a fairy tale. Our relationship is strange, but he’s family, well kinda.

I had told Uncle Jerry about my pregnancy fairly early on. He knew that Rob and I had broken up and knew I had moved down the street, but since I didn’t plan on spending any time at the bar over the course of my pregnancy I thought I would let him know why. He never liked Rob and was quick to offer me his love and support, another reason why I consider him family I suppose.

Of course to that point his love and support extended to infrequent phone calls to see how I was doing but other than that I didn’t see very much of him, so I was surprised when he called me on Mother’s Day Sunday to ask for a favor. (My parents were in New York City, they go for two weeks every May and we celebrate Mother’s Day when they get back.)

“I forgot my lunch, could you go grab me a sandwich before the bar opens?” He said.

“Sure, from where?”

We sorted out the arrangements and I confess, despite him offering me free lunch from my favorite sandwich shop, I wasn’t jazzed to go to the bar, even if it wasn’t open. (I’m not very big on the lingering smell of cigarette smoke.) Oh, the things we do for love.

A moment after I arrived in the bar, I was again reminded why I considered Jerry to be family. On one of the side tables there was a beautiful little flower arrangement and something that resembled strawberry shortcake. (Jerry later told me he bought and ripped up an angel food cake and then topped it with strawberries and whipped cream himself.)

“Happy Mother’s Day,” he said as he extended his arms wide to give me a hug and I promptly burst into tears.

Jerry patted my back clumsily while telling me how happy he was to celebrate my “first Mother’s Day” with me, and it’s funny that despite the pregnant belly, and the knowledge I was carrying a bouncing baby boy I just didn’t really see that “Mother’s Day” applied to me. I guess that seems odd, but I didn’t really think Motherhood happened (or more accurately was acknowledged by other people) until the baby was in your arms.

He told me stories all through our little Mother’s Day luncheon, mostly stories about regulars I knew but hadn’t seen in a while, but he sprinkled in some of my favorites for good measure. I laughed so hard that at one point I was holding my sides.

“You aren’t going into labor, are you?” he asked with genuine alarm.

“No,”I assured him, wiping away tears of laughter.

I left just as the bar opened and the first few patrons made their way in.

The next day, when I went to work, I had an emailing wishing me Happy Mother’s Day from Beth (and John too, she assured me!) and she asked if I had a nice Mother’s Day and I smiled, thinking of a dark bar and an old bachelor’s strawberry shortcake when I replied to her by saying “I really did!”

I have a confession, it never occurred to me that I would get any kind of award for this website. Frankly, I consider it no small miracle that people show up and read my posts. Even more miraculous have been the comments and emails that you have left (or sent). Some of your adoption stories have made me a happy weepy mess and I love and cherish each and every one.

Today when I saw that I had a comment from Michelle over at Warsaw Mommy I was excited, and when I read it and it said she had an award for me and to pop over to her site I was shocked. Then to read her kind words and see what this award was all about, I was humbled. I’m sure that somewhere out there, there is an *official* governing body that recognizes Bloggers but to me this award is priceless – it’s like a fan favorite award. I have been recognized by someone I like and admire and now I get to pay it forward and recognize some other people.

So today, I get to thank a new friend for her kind words and recognize some people I think are truly talented. However you’re getting ready to find out how random I am when you see my list and some of the blogs I follow when I’m not here, sharing myself with you. What should be interesting is that I am a notorious blog lurker so the people I am going to recognize may have no idea that I’ve ever stopped by their website, let alone that I stop by regularly and that I really admire what they do. So, here are my Sublime Seven Picks -

Thanks again to Michelle over at Warsaw Mommy Blog for your kind recommendation and a wonderful opportunity. If you haven’t stopped by Warsaw Mommy – you really should, Michelle is Canadian and living and loving in Poland with her husband and two beautiful boys. Her posts and pictures are entertaining and insightful, and when I am having a  bad day there are few things that pick me up faster than clicking the “My Kids Love” and checking out those pictures and reading the posts there. {Michelle you’re on my *award* list whether it’s appropriate or not for me give the award you’ve given me back to you!}

The Eclectic Connoisseur is the first blog I ever stumbled across that was written by a “normal” person. I follow the blogs of some of my favorite authors and some of the “high profile” bloggers, like Pioneer Woman, but Ashley opened a whole new world to me – a world in which someone that I might bump into in the grocery store is sharing something personal with me. Ashley shares her cooking adventures and when things start to get slow – she shares other things that she finds beautiful with her readers. Ashley always inspires me to get in my kitchen and try something new! I love her site.

Another favorite of mine that is food-centric, is Kirbie’s Cravings. Kirbie’s site header boasts that it is the tale of “one hungry girl and her boyfriend attempt to satisfy their food cravings in San Diego and Beyond.” Kirbie (and her family) travel far and wide and they share foods I’ve never seen or heard of, recipes that have ingredients I’m not sure where to find, and they always somehow entertain and amuse me. I can’t help but check her site and marvel at her culinary adventures. (And I like that sometimes she reviews places like the local college’s dining hall.)

Recipe Shoebox seems to be  undergoing a face-lift lately, but no matter what it looks like the women of Recipe Shoebox have been a blessing in my house. This is my “go to” website for those nights when I have no idea what to cook but the prospect of being in the kitchen for a couple of hours after a long day seems unbearable. These ladies have never lead me astray – I’ve gotten rave reviews on everything I’ve ever made from this site and even better most of the recipes are the kind of things I already have in my kitchen!

LoveFeast Table run by best friends Chris Ann and Kristin has captivated my imagination.  I love the way they talk about food, the way it brings people together. They also periodically host “Love Bombs” and really I have got to get out there and try to host one of these here at home. I am definitely a mother hen type to all of my friends but I love the way they use food to open new doors and make new friends. {This is also the website where I first learned about Chai and now I’ve got a drawer FULL of Chai tea!}

Hippo Brigade is a site that I stumbled across recently, through another blog, and the minute I read it I felt like I was home. I giggle alot when I read Hippo Brigade. Because I am new to the site and still working my way through the archives, I admit that I might have the author’s name wrong, but Beckey of Hippo Brigade has such a unique sense of humor and sense of style that her blog is just so much fun.

Kara’s Kitchen Creations is another new blog for me, but I must admit that Kara had me at “Spinach Garlic Chicken.” {There was a link to her blog from Recipe Shoebox.} Then I saw Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken, and my heart melted. I haven’t tried any Kara’s recipes yet and I’ve noticed that she seems to run several other blogs so this is just the tip of the iceberg, but I’m looking forward to getting to know Kara better!

If you have some time, check out these fabulous blogs – you will probably get hungry, but hopefully you will laugh along the way and enjoy them as much as I do!

Following the fine example of Dave Kellett, the man behind Sheldon Comics, I created a Formspring page so that if you have questions you want to ask, and don’t feel comfortable doing so here, you can ask away.

You can find me here: http://www.formspring.me/decidingforlife

Russ is proving to be a good friend. I expected him to drop me like a hot potato after our date, but he has continued to call and ask how I’m doing. I admit that he hasn’t mentioned going anywhere in public with me, which makes me a little sad, (I mean friends have dinner together every now and then don’t they?) but really the fact that he didn’t completely run screaming for the hills never to be heard from again is a true testament to what a great guy he is.

In retrospect, sending Beth an email with the subject line “my four legged baby” was not terribly bright, before she opened the attachment and her eyes scanned the contents of the email she admitted that she thought I had an ultrasound and that there was something wrong with the baby. I must admit though that I was impressed that of all the emotions Beth conveyed in her email – fear for the baby, concern for how they would address such an odd medical issue, joy and excitement for me after my recent adoption, she never expressed doubt about wanting my baby – even if it did have four legs. Of course, she couldn’t have my four legged baby – he was all mine!

This past weekend, I went to my very first Greyhound Pets of America Meet and Greet. I had been emailing with my local chapter quite a bit,  doing the recommended reading, asking questions, and basically just trying to decide if I really wanted a Greyhound or not. Part of the problem was that I had never seen one, except for on TV in commercials for the dog track (Well, and on the Simpsons if you count Santa’s Little Helper.) Through my research I had learned that Greyhounds were not what I expected them to be – high energy dogs that needed space to run and cut loose, so while I learned that their couch potato lifestyle should fit with mine, I still wasn’t entirely sold.

However, on Thursday I opened the newspaper and was looking in the animal/pets section of the classified and I saw an ad that had been placed by the GPA – it had a profile shot of a handsome brindle dog smiling, it said his name was Ben and he was looking for a home. I studied that profile carefully – I liked that smile, and so I asked for the next Meet and Greet date and learned that it was Saturday Morning.

I got up on Saturday and put on my best overalls (a fashion statement I had avoided before pregnancy but now I found that it was comfortable and left most people unsure whether I was pregnant or not) and drove to the vet clinic where the Meet and Greet was being held. Before I even got out of my car I saw a rainbow assortment of tall and skinny dogs standing comfortably with people who were milling about and doing a little meeting and greeting themselves. I didn’t expect for there to be so many dogs, but there were at least a dozen and they were faun, reddish faun, black, and a color that people call brindle but it looked almost like tiger striping! The dogs all looked like lean athletes and I had a hard time believing that they would morph into laid back and companionable pets.

I was quickly approached by one of the GPA volunteers and when I gave her my name, she quickly took me to meet her TWO foster dogs! They were beautiful, a small black female and a tall brindle male. She told me they were small animal tested, both passed with flying colors. However though I was more drawn to the friendly smile of Ted, the tall male, when she told me the stories about him liberating a loaf of bread from the kitchen and “passing it out” to all the other dogs. (Gleefully shredding it so that pieces went EVERYWHERE!) I thought he might be too much dog for my apartment.

Every volunteer that I met was very exuberant when I introduced myself, they introduced their fosters, encouraged me to take their dog for a walk (they had a small yard where you could walk with the dog to interact a little bit). I walked one or two of the dogs, and I must say they were the most laid back dogs ever to walk – they never seemed to pull at the leash or exhibit any bad behavior at all. However, of all the dogs I walked, while many were beautiful I just didn’t get that tug that told me that my dog was there.

Then just as I was trying to decide what to do, a van pulled up, and a woman hurried out apologizing for being late. Marie, the president of the local GPA chapter, who I was talking to when this mysterious stranger pulled up waved at the woman and called out to her -

“Ann, this is Joy!” she said excitedly.

Ann, the woman from the van, had the back of the van open and was bringing out her foster dog, Ben. She brought him right to me and put his leash in my hand and encouraged me to take him for a walk. Ben was a tall brindle male, but his stripes were more brown and black, than the orangey brown and black of the other brindles, and his fur was exceptionally soft. He walked right next to me, in a perfect heel though I hadn’t uttered any kind of command. His eyes were beautiful, dark soulful eyes that seemed wise and a little sad.

When Ben and I came back to where Ann was now standing smiling broadly, she started to tell me his story. Ben was actually retired from racing years earlier and he had lived with a family for the past few years. However, he had killed a cockatiel that his family had brought home and kept on an open air stand (Sounds like bad people, not really a bad dog.) so they took him to the vet to be destroyed, saying he was a dangerous animal. The vet took the dog and called the GPA refusing to destroy a dog for doing what it was bred to do. Ben had been pining for him family, Ann was struggling with getting him to eat. I had been petting Ben while we were talking and he had leaned against my leg. I smiled down at him.

A young girl, probably around ten or eleven, came over and asked Ann if she could walk Ben, and I looked up to see the girl smiling at me and her mother (who had sent the girl over to ask) standing a few feet away. My heart skipped a beat, but Ann told the girl she would have to ask me. I was shocked when I heard myself say, “not right now.” (I am normally never one to tell a child no to such a reasonable request.) Ann looked at me grinning broadly.

“So do you want him?” She asked.

I knelt down in front of the dog, and I asked him “do you want to come home with me?”

Obviously he had no words to answer, but he put his head down and stepped up to me, burying his head against me. It was almost like he was saying, “I thought you would never ask.”

Within twenty minutes the paperwork was signed, I purchased a new leash and collar from the clinic where the Meet and Greet was being held, and Ben was mine. I was so happy that I even let the little girl take him for a walk, and my heart lifted a little when I saw that though Ben went with her, he looked back over his shoulder seeming to make sure I wasn’t going anywhere. Ann and I were talking, she was telling me what kind of food he was eating and what schedule he was on, etc. etc. I was so engrossed I almost didn’t notice that the girl and her Mother were standing near Marie with Ben, Marie was shaking her head.

The girl brought Ben back to me a few moments later and as she handed me the leash back she said “this was going to be my dog, but they said you got it first.”and then she walked away.

Ben was leaning against my leg, and I couldn’t help but think that he got me first.