Got A Minute?...

I have no photos today - but do I have stories.

This has been a CRAZY few days!!

When I last wrote, I was headed to what I thought would be a simple root canal (if there is such a thing).  I had planned to attend Miss Katja's graduation ceremony Thursday evening, but woke up with a terrible toothache and the Endodontist fit me in right away.  Unfortunately, par for my life, it was nothing but simple.  After an X-Ray, they discovered that I had infection in two of my bones.  One she thought she could get to if she did a root canal.  The other, she was sorry to say, would require a surgical procedure called an Apicoectomy.  Of course it would.  *sigh*  There was no way she could do it that evening...and when I told her our upcoming plans (more on that later) she said she would do the one root canal that night and I'd have to come back for the other surgery.  An Apicoectomy involves cutting through my gum to get to the bone and trying to pull out the infected tissue.  It will involve stitches and steroids and pain and swelling and lots of ice.  Of course it will.  Then I'll have to be on a strong round of antibiotics.

How did this happen?  Well, if you don't remember my dental horror story - I wrote about it in THIS POST.  The one where a charlatan dentist told me I needed four root canals in one visit with little novacaine.  I found out at Thursday's visit that there is a broken piece of metal in one of my roots!  Apparently that awful dentist broke a piece of his drill or whatever instrument it was IN MY ROOT and left it there.  Of course he did.  It's a wonder I don't set off the airport security with my metal mouth.  But his lousy work left my unknowing, innocent teeth open to infection.  I could have never known it was happening.

So I left on Thursday with one root canal done and still hurting.  The pain definitely isn't as bad as before - but because the other tooth wasn't worked on, it still hurts to open wide or chew.  No big deal.  Ha.

Then Friday came.  Miss Sara had the day off.  The boys and I made a morning trip to the pediatrician to get Gavin's ears checked.  He finished his round of antibiotics for his SECOND double ear infection and I wanted to make sure we got it this time.  The infection is gone, but he still has fluid in his left ear. I told the doctor my suspicion that Gavin's tonsils may be inflamed...and that I thought he had a sinus infection.  I suffered from chronic sinus infections growing up so I know the tell tale signs.  Looks like I was right on both parts.  He suggested that I give Gavin Flonase in the morning for a while...then a squirt of Afrin in each nostril at night for three days to see if we could clear the fluid from his ear.  And he wrote me a script to get a neck Xray at the hospital to check his adenoids and tonsils that way.

We came home and right after lunch I was getting ready to "co-host" my very first "live chat" on a website called the "Motherhood".  Ten minutes before the start time, Gavin coughed...and then proceeded to throw up all over the kitchen floor.  I was on the floor trying to keep Gavin from crawling away...keep Brian from running through it...and figure out how to clean it up when all of a sudden the Heavens parted.  The laundry room door opened and when I looked up I saw Ed.  Like out of a movie, he moved in slow motion to place his laptop bag on the kitchen island - the flowers in his hand (really!) right next to it.  He swooped Gavin up in his arms and brought him upstairs for a bath.  Brian followed right behind, not wanting to be left out of the action.  And I participated in my half hour "chat" with a group of other special needs Moms.  

And then, I found a tick on my ear.  Of course I did.

So as I sat there googling ticks and trying to decide if this was a deer tick (looks like it was a dog tick), I went over the events thus far.  Root canal.  Discomfort.  Gavin's never ending sinus issues and cough induced vomiting at inopportune times.  Finding the time for gum surgery.  Embryo transfer in a week or two.  Scheduling Gavin at DuPont hospital to find out if he has tonsil or adenoid issues.

It wouldn't be so overwhelming if it came at a better time!!  This coming Wednesday, my Mom, my brother, my sisters and I are headed to Long Island.  After my Dad retired, he took a "part time" job that was anything but part time.  He landed a gig as the Commissioner of the East Coast Collegiate Athletic Conference overseeing twelve college sports programs up and down the East coast.  Not surprisingly, he was very well respected...and loved dearly.  My Mom received a letter a few weeks ago telling her that the Conference chose him as a recipient of this year's lifetime achievement award.  It will be presented at a banquet on Wednesday and we'll all be there to accept.  It will be a long day - and I'll likely get home close to midnight...

Only to wake up the next morning before the sun for our NEXT adventure.

This Tuesday is our eighth wedding anniversary.  (And they said it wouldn't last.)  Ed and I made a bold decision to once again plan a trip...cross our fingers that we make it...and attempt to go somewhere fancy.  If you remember, last August we planned a trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas.  We got all the way to airport parking before we turned around and came home - Hurricane Irene was on her way.  Of course she was.  So here we are again - feeling we need to celebrate eight years in style and, quite frankly, needing a break before our upcoming embryo transfer.  We are headed back to where it all began.  Puerto Rico!!  I'm sure you all know this already, but I met Ed on an airplane headed to San Juan.  He was flying there for business...and I was his flight attendant!  Before kids, we went back to Puerto Rico several times.  It's a very special place to us.  We can't wait to walk through the El Yunque Rainforest, one of my favorite destinations there.  And we're planning on visiting one of the Bioluminescent Bays for a night time boat tour.  Click the link to check it out - it's something we have always wanted to do there.  We won't be gone long - Thursday to Saturday.  Just enough time to say "ahhhh" and "zzzzz" and "Wait...your name again is...Ed, right?"  Just kidding.  As soon as we get home I will have to pick up the pace and have my surgery, grow a baby, fix Gavin and share my recipe for World Peace.  You know...no big deal.

So...the best news of all?  Yesterday I had a yard sale.  I have one every year and get a lot of repeat customers, which is pretty funny.  I do pretty well at my sales - I spend nothing but time on my advertising and make sure that I'm set up to make shopping (and seeing everything) easy.  Last year I made enough to leave my garage and go straight to the Apple store to purchase an iPad.  This year my goal was to buy Gavin a wheelchair mounting device for the iPad.  Well, after a long morning and meeting lots of lovely people...Ed counted up the money and I made $342.00!!  Woo hoo!  I even met two women who live up the road and own horses.  We got to talking about Gavin's horseback riding therapy and they told me to bring him by anytime I wanted.  They don't give lessons or charge fees - they just have horses and would love to have us come by!  They seemed so sincere and left their names and numbers...now I just need to muster the courage to pick up that phone and call them some day.  It gives me social anxiety just thinking about it!!  But truly, something special always happens at my yard sales.  I have the nicest customers come through my garage.

If anyone has experience with wheelchair mounts and can help me with recommendations, I'd appreciate it.  Keep in mind that Gavin is VERY strong, so it would have to be sturdy!  I'm realizing that I can probably get one pretty cheap, too...leaving lots of leftover cash.  I wonder if I'll figure out what to do with all this leftover bonus money?

Maybe it will go towards decorating a new nursery.  A girl can dream, right?

The end.