(Mook is healing well–thanks for all your thoughts!)

I was so happy to hear that Ms. JW Moxie over at The Smartness was bringing Sock It To Me back this fall! Who knew that a pair of socks could make so many people giddy? Oh, they do.

Ive sent and received some rockin’ socks the past few years Ive participated, and this Sockeroo was no different.

This time around, I received not one, but THREE pair of awesome socks from the lovely Amy @ Justamere IVF — and I will put all to good use, since it’s about this time of year that my toes begin to freeze and won’t thaw until next July. :: fact ::

Looky, looky at my awesome knee highs (my favorite kind of sock, too) ——->

And yes, those are bluebirds on the last pair of socks – thanks again, Amy! I apprecaite you helping me feel warm and fuzzy — not only my toes, but being such a great bloggy friend!

My alarm clock went off at 3:30 am this morning, although I may as well not have gone to sleep at all.

The bed was quietly made, showers were taken, a look in at our sleeping O-man, and then Mook and I headed out for the hospital.

We checked in at 5am for his looooong awaited stomach surgery, and while I sat quietly and refrained from talking much (how I deal when Im nervous/anxious), Mook was busy chattering and making jokes with the nurse (how he deals when he’s nervous/anxious)

The only possession he was allowed to take into surgery with him was a picture he took of me and O-man last night – and the sweet kiss that we shared before he was wheeled into the holding room, was one I’ll remember for a long time.

Just remind me of that sweet memory next week when I am complaining about my whiny/needy patient – hah!

So while I wait in the crowded waiting room while Mook goes through a 5 hour surgery, I’m thankful for the distraction of WiFi and my fabulous friends. I’ve asked my twitter peeps to help keep me distracted by doing a fun Q&A with me today.

——>  Q&A Session <—–

Here we go

@Seussgirl asked:

• Favorite color M&M? : The tan ones that are no longer in the standard bag — they were discontinued right before the blue M&M was introduced.
• Favorite vacation?  My honeymoon to Cabo San Lucas – 2 weeks of bliss
• Favorite date with Mook?  To a little Mexican restaurant our last week of college – loved every moment of that evening.

@Alison1L asked:

• How many states have you visited? Ok, Ms. Alison, you definitely gave me a good distraction – was that planned?! I had to pull up a map and count. And the answer is: 24 — and I’d like to add Nebraska to that number

@NotAMyrtle asked:

• What is your favorite coffee and what’s your favorite coffee flavoring? I was previously in love with Starbucks. Then a Dunkin’ Donuts opened down the street, and I was hooked. I don’t use any flavoring: just steamed skim milk and 2 Splendas

@jandj621 asked:

• Could you investigate great ideas for Christmas presents? For husband and sisters-in-law. I’ve leaned heavily on sites like Etsy for personal gifts that revolve around something the person I am buying for likes OR that has a special meaning between me and the recipient. Hope that helps?
  
• Do you have an iPad? How can I justify the purchase for my own Christmas present? No – but honey, you and I are on the SAME page. I need to figure out a way to gift myself one too. Here’s an idea. You buy one for me, I buy one for you. Solved!
  
•  I always like seeing people’s days…your schedule on a typical day. What helps you be productive? You must have read my mind – Im doing a post soon of an hour by hour day in my life! Stay tuned…
  

@pregnantjust asked:

• Wheres the best place you’ve ever been on vacation and why? Ill change up my answer a bit from the one I gave @Alison1L. Other than my honeymoon, Id have to say the Outer Banks with my family each summer – I love the tradition of it, and its a beautiful place
  

@lisasjogren asked:

• How do you reduce stress? Sing, walk with some jammin’ tunes on my iPod, clean something
  
• Do you swear? Hell yes. I need to work on this…
  
• If you could have any job, what would it be? Feel blessed to be a mom — hardest, best job ever.
  
• What was your first car? 1988 Ford Marquis — a beast!
  
• Were you popular in high school? I had friends in each click. I was a floater.
  
• Do you like thunderstorms? Love them – except in the middle of the night
  
• Is the glass half empty or half full? Doesn’t matter – Im bound to spill it.
  
• What type of music do you dislike most? Can I just name a band? I like a little bit of everything, but I am not in any way shape or form a fan of Nickelback.
  
• Are you a risk taker? Yes
  
• What is your bedtime? Usually 11 or later. Another thing I need to work on…
  
• Can you handle the truth? Id rather have the truth, even though I may not always be able to handle it.
  

@LadyforaBaby asked:

Blogger,  Melis.sa asked:

• This is my go-to nonsense question: If your hand suddenly turned into a donut what would you do? Would you nibble on it at all? Would you wrap it in saran wrap and try to preserve it? This truly made me LOL in the waiting room — what a fun question — and one I really had to think about! Because, um, I LOVE donuts. Id have good intentions and wrap it up, but there’s no doubt in my mind Id end up nibbling.
  

@BumpyJourney asked:

• What weird habits do you have? How much time do you have to read them is the question? I can’t have an odd number of e-mails in my inbox, I have to sleep on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom, I think numbers have male/female genders–i.e. #1 is male, #4 is female, etc. — I think this is from watching Sesame Street.
  

@Rottenstinker asked:

• Favorite all time date with Mook and why? I mentioned a mexican meal dinner date in response to another similar question — so my other favorite date was when he and I were in NYC together last year — we had just left a show, and were walking back to the hotel looking at all the holiday decorations and it started to snow. Incredibly romantic and we enjoyed every second.
  
• She asked me to share my Jersey Shore name and why: Bubbles. My Jersey Shore name was given to me during O-man’s 1st birthday party weekend. I’m an accident waiting to happen (I sliced my finger with a knife that weekend) so they all told me I needed to live in a bubble. Hence, Bubbles. I can fist pump with the best of ‘em, yo!
  

 @KLTTX asked:

• How about if you research all the new fall shows for us and tell us which ones look good? Oh man, I foam at the mouth during fall TV season — all the new premier and my favorites coming back! I have to be honest, I don’t know too much about the new shows coming out — the one I am looking forward to is: New Girl on Fox. And Im looking forward to NCIS:LA to return.
  

*Update* Surgery went well — some small issues during the procedure, but he had a great surgeon team. Long/painful recovery ahead, but we’re both thankful to be on the other side of this and begin the healing process!

May your Wednesday be full of the spice of life.

Really, did someone forget to tell me that your body starts staging an all out revolt against you once you hit 30?

On a cloudy day in May, I awoke as usual around 6:45am with the sounds of O-man singing his “Good morning, world!” song, and as I reached over to turn off the monitor my left thumb throbbed in pain. I thought, “Oh I must have been clenching my fist in my sleep.” and went about my routine.

Three months later, I not only wake up with the same throbbing pain, but it lasts all day long. Sometimes preventing me from picking up O-man.

Is it the curse of the technology age? I am guilty of being on my computer or with my iPhone in hand most of the day. So I’ve tried a slew of different things from home remedies (ice, heat, rest, Advil, a thumb brace from the drugstore) to all out not touching the computer and limiting the use of my phone to using it just as a phone (gasp!)

Last night was probably the worst its been — my thumb was shaking involuntarily and aching non-stop. So it sounds like I’ll be making an appointment with an orthopedic doc soon.

Anyone have any other home remedies for me to try as a last-ditch effort?

There are days that I feel like really telling Facebook what’s on my mind. Doing a full brain-dump to all my friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances…

But I’m just not sure how it would sound, so would you do me a favor and proofread* my upcoming status update for me?

JJ is currently checked in at the Loony Bin with two others.

JJ has poked Karma in the ass.

JJ would like to give everyone an update on how things are going. 2011 has not been the best year for me. It continues to throw some curve-balls and I would like to know when I can take off the catcher’s mitt.

After receiving news earlier this year that I have a type of skin cancer, I am currently on a break from photo-therapy treatments for 3 months. While waiting, I get to spend time dealing with my thyroid, which has basically gone kaput. If the meds don’t keep my cysts and goiters from growing…out comes the thyroid. Not to mention I recently had to have a blood vessel in my whooo-haaaa cauterised. I don’t recommend this.

O-man is 2 1/2. He’s a pure joy! He’s also a challenge, but I wouldn’t trade any moment. Has he pooped on the potty yet? You won’t hear it here, as I am not interested in sharing my son’s bowel movements, nor reading about yours.

Mook continues to travel a lot. That will soon cease for a while when he has major surgery in 4 weeks. Remember all that bad coughing earlier this year? Add that to the never-ending heartburn he’s had since he was 16, and after multiple tests over the past 3 months, he has been cleared to go through a 4 hour surgery to restructure his esophagus and remove a hernia. Trying to control the anxiety I have about this…

I’d really like to have a sibling for O-man–do you know where I can get one without multiple fertility treatments or being told to just adopt?

So that’s what’s on my mind, Facebook. How are you?

*Not that I will really ever post this to FB. But it’s nice to write it out where I know I can just get it out and not feel judged. Things may not be sunshine and roses, but just airing out the hard stuff makes me feel better.

I’m that kid at camp who didn’t show up until the last day.

Shame on me.

Calliope did a great series the month of July, Summer Camp in the Blogosphere, and the very last prompt asks:

“What advice would you give someone who is just starting a blog today?“

My simple, but powerful, advice

I have gotten so wrapped up into thinking someone coming across my blog won’t like what I am writing about; that they won’t find what I post interesting.

But it’s worth trying to connect. Who know what statement you make will touch someone else. That’s what’s amazing and wonderful about being part of a world wide web community.

I also have to remember that I started blogging to get my thoughts out and have a place for me to feel safe and secure; not scared or nervous to log-in to this space that has brought me so much comfort. We all get writers-block or a blog-haze settles over our brain…but man, I have just been completely gun-shy about sharing anything.

So hear this new bloggers out there (and old-timers…) blog with sincerity of self. Be you and just write. 

You may never have a single reader, you may become the next daily read. I may lose readers, I may gain readers, but I will practice what I have just preached.

I will blog with sincerity. And just be me.

I’m curious. Do you find yourself blogging more for yourself….or others?

I’d like to know where this brand new baby is that Similac thinks I just had. They were also kind enough to send me a 2 cans of formula (which I promptly donated to our pediatrician’s office).

Just when I thought I was in an OK state-of-mind…

I also tweeted this just a few days ago:

It’s been three years since I’ve been in the thick of IVF, so I’ve had time to let my wounds heal. But these little stabs are just like ripping that wound right open.

Hugging my sweet boy to seal that wound right back up.

I love interpreting the shapes I see in a cloud formation.

What do you see?

When I was 10, I was riding bikes with a neighborhood friend down a steep hill in my backyard. We’d take turns being daredevils and during one of my turns to take off down the hill, the chain on my bike slipped off, forcing me to take a detour over to the side.

A mere 10 seconds after I had made it over to the side, my friend flew past me on her bike without waiting for me to give her the signal at the bottom of the hill that I was safely out of the way–come to find out, she had lost control of her brakes.

If I had not moved over to the side, the force of impact would have sent me over the side of the hill and in bad shape.

I may have only been 10, but I remember that day like it was yesterday–I also remember having this chill pass over me like a guardian angel was to blame for my chain coming loose on my bike–allowing me to avoid an otherwise dangerous situation.

Cheesy, maybe–but I know that I’ve kept my guardian angel busy ever since. There have been many instances, I’m sure, that I haven’t even noticed that I’ve been kept out of harms way.

But I do know that that angel was with me again last night because last night we got to take our nightly walk an hour earlier than usual, due a mini cold front came through the Carolinas yesterday.

When we were about half way through the walk, we decided to jog a bit and it was right when we came to a curve in the road where we are always careful to watch for traffic due to a blind spot. As we started to make our way up the hill out of the curve, we heard the screeching of breaks and turned around to see a car come barreling towards us. The driver over-corrected twice and ended up missing us by a few yards…ending up lodged between two trees in a ditch. Had the tree not been there, the car would have flipped with her and her child inside. She had been going at least 50 in a 25mph zone.

That moment happened where our brains took a moment to process what had just happened. It seemed like minutes passed before we made our legs move to take off running towards the car to help. We scanned the car quickly–seeing the child in the backseat and the driver frantically waving us away mouthing that she was OK. I had the “movie-moment” where I panicked that the car was going to burst into flames due to the increasing smell of gas. She continued to wave us away–and we weren’t quite sure what to do. Another car approached us–and it was family or friends of the driver–they didnt want to speak to us much either just saying that they would be fine. We are pretty sure it ended up being a shady situation where she got the kid out of the car and away from the accident before the cops got there.

As we made our way back up the hill, our adrenaline was pumping as the reality of the timing of the whole situation played out in our minds. We really were so close to being in the direct path of her swerve.

What had made me decide to tell Mook to jog those few yards when we usually are just comfortable walking? I’m just so glad we did. I’ve made sure to assure my guardian angel she has the rest of the weekend off.