Vacation Recap & a Little Setback...

The week before last I had a much needed vacation from work. It didn't start out well & it didn't end well, but the middle was damn near fantastic!!!

I had an ear infection the end of the week previous so I kinda felt crappy all weekend, but the week itself was great. Spent a whole day sans kiddos shopping with my bestie! We even got to eat 2 meals together alone. The best part was, they were hot & we didn't have to share them with anyone!!!

Wednesday we took R & M into the city to the Discovery Museum to see The Art of the Brick exhibit, which R LOVED!!! It wasn't very expensive, but either way it was worth every penny! M had a blast on the train, she kept saying "go fast, go fast!" My dad met us in the city (he works in NJ) & the kids always love time with their Poppa. We went to Bubba Gump Shrimp in Times Square for dinner, & the kids loved that, too. The service sucked, but the food was delish!

Friday while R was at camp we took A & D mini-golfing at this really cool place out by their house, & then we took them out to lunch. Then we picked up R & they all went swimming at Grandma & Grandpa's.

Sunday we dropped all the kids off with good old Grandma & Grandpa and we headed out to Atlantic City to have an early anniversary celebration. We partied a bit on Sunday with our awesome cousins, and had a nice romantic day together on Monday. We did some shopping, walked the boardwalk & followed it up with an amazing dinner at Luke Palladino's in Harrah's (thanks again to our awesome cousins). I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in AC.

Tuesday we headed home & then the shit hit the fan... M came down with Coxsackie virus. She had 102- 104 temperature for 3 days. Follow this up with R slamming his head and needing 5 stitches on Friday, and that was HELL WEEK in a nutshell. This is what we get for going away without the kids. Worst part was, this pushed back our week with the boys since we didn't want them to get sick :(

I tried to keep up with exercising while on vacation, but I really fell off at the end. It's hard to stay motivated when you're away. I have also been experiencing some numbness and tingling in my left leg since right before we left for AC. It started out in the area just around my knee cap but has since spread up and down my leg. I'm not sure if this is something that will go away on it's own or if I should be really concerned about it. It hasn't affected my running too much, but I am having some difficulty feeling the step during my aerobics class :/

Anyone have any experience with this? Should I call my ortho or wait it out???

In the meantime, I guess I'll just keep hobbling along...

I'm Back....

So, it's been a while...

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. Things have been super busy and slightly unpleasant at work, so I have been completely exhausted at night. Between work, finding time to exercise, and taking care of the kids... I feel like I hardly have time for anything else. Squeeze a surgery in the middle of all this, and that pretty much sums up my break from blogging.

I won't go into details about my job here, but let's just say that the stress has far outweighed any enjoyment I was getting out of it before. The end of the school year is always the hardest for many reasons, but this year has been particularly difficult. I am anxious for testing to be over so I can have the office to myself for the summer and regroup. Hopefully there will be some change on the horizon for next year. In the meantime, at least I know I will have a quiet, stress free summer where I can complete my work in peace :)

Before I go into my surgery, let me give you the abbreviated back story. About 3 1/2 years ago I started having lower abdominal pain, mostly on my left side but occasionally on both, with spreading around to my back. At first it wasn't so bad, but when it started getting worse I asked my GP about it. He suggested I see a gastrointerologist, who sent me for a bunch of tests. He ultimately diagnosed me with IBS, and blamed the stress of buying our house, blending our families and planning our wedding. It seemed like a plausible explanation. I changed my diet and started taking supplements, and I was okay for a while. We got married, enjoyed life, and then I got pregnant. The pain hardly bothered me at all for a long time. After I delivered baby M the pain returned and was worse than ever. It went from being sporadic to being present almost half of every month. I went back to the gastro who reconfirmed his original diagnosis, but also suggested I follow up with my gynecologist. She checked for cysts, and said everything seemed fine there, but I wasn't satisfied. I know my own body, and something just didn't seem right to me. It was Jay who noticed the pain seemed to be worse whenever I had my period or should be ovulating. My mom had very bad endometriosis which resulted in a full hysterectomy when she was just 45 years old, so I started doing research on that. When I discovered that the pain was the same type and that this disease is commonly misdiagnosed as IBS, I went back to my GYN and asked her to look further. Since surgery is the only way to diagnose endometriosis, we tried some other drugs first. After 6 months with no luck I opted for the exploratory laporoscopy.

The surgery was minor and ambulatory. Thankfully I was home the same day. I have 2 small incisions, I'm pretty sure they won't be noticeable at all when they heal. The result was that my GYN did find endometriosis to be present, and had to burn off some lesions that she found. I had to take 3 days off from work, and rested up for a total of 5 days. It really took a full 2 weeks before I felt 100%. I had a lot of gas (they fill your abdomen with CO2), bloating and swelling. Since I couldn't exercise for 2 weeks I was really feeling crappy, but I feel much better now that I am back in my regular routine. The bad news is that I have to take medication, at least until I hit menopause. That's a major bummer. Anyway, I'm glad that is over with and that now I have answers. I was starting to worry that I was going crazy! At least now we can treat it and move forward, and now that I know what it is I am even more determined not to let the pain keep me down.

I've been doing well with the running. Almost done with week 6 of C25K, and I can't believe that I'm actually enjoying it! I can't wait to get out there and run most days, which is completely cray!!! I am feeling stronger and healthier than I have in a long time, and it feels great!

I'm looking forward to the summer, and spending lots of quality time with my family and friends. We've got a short anniversary trip in the works for July, and a BIG family vacation planned for August. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids smile, so I'm really looking forward to that! Also glad to have more time for the blog. There will be lots of adorable pics heading your way soon!!


Happy Friday!!!

I Can't Believe...

Linking up with The Sunshine Diary today for I Can't Believe Wednesday!    

 

I Can't Believe... I ran a WHOLE MILE. Without stopping. 2 days in a row!

I Can't Believe... How good I felt when I was done running. I never would have thought being so sweaty could feel so good. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment that comes along with doing something you've never done before, something you didn't think you could do. It felt A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

I Can't Believe... I have to have stupid surgery tomorrow :( 

I am going for an exploratory laparoscopy to diagnose and hopefully help to treat endometriosis. From what my doc says, it seems pretty minor so I'm not too worried - I just hate hospitals, and anesthesia.

I Can't Believe... I have to do a cleanse for this stupid surgery tomorrow :(

This means I can't eat any solid food all day today (BOO!), and I have to drink some nasty crap later that's going to cause me to spend my entire evening chained to the porcelain throne. That sounds much better when you are talking about a night of drunken vomiting. At least you get something out of that! 

Oh well!

I Can't Believe... I can't run for 2 weeks now because of this stupid surgery :(

I was just starting to really enjoy it! I'm so bummed. Hopefully it will go quickly.

 

Maybe this will free up some more time for my blog ;)

 

Wish me luck!

Thankful Thursday - Communion Recap

OK, better late than never...

So, as most of you know, last Saturday my little man R made his First Holy Communion. In spite of some heavy rain, we really did have a wonderful day...

and since it's Thursday, I am SO THANKFUL that it all turned out beautifully!!!

The mass went off without a hitch, the kids all sang and did great! The boys all looked SO dapper in their suits and the girls SO beautiful in their mini-wedding gowns. They really were a sight to see!

One of the highlights of the day for me was when we ran into a face from our past. The daughter of one of my mom's closest friends, who we haven't seen in about 15 years, recognized my sister in church and came up to us after mass. It was a sure sign for me that my mom was there with us as R received this holy sacrament, and brought tears to my eyes. Michele & my dad were crying as well - what a bunch of hot messes!!!

We had a little snafu with the cake, they left the n off of communion... That was a little embarrassing :/
I'm also missing a few pics because my sis apparently doesn't know how to work a digital camera!

womp womp...

... But other than that, is was a great day. I feel very blessed that both of R's families were able to come together in spite of everything to celebrate this special moment in his life. I only almost lost it on one of them once the whole day!

The big guy was definitely watching over us ;)


Hope you enjoy these pics from his blessed day...

Me, my sis & my handsome nephew John

So proud of my little man!

Jay and the guest of honor :)

<3



Baby M enjoying some strawberry cake!



R & his Poppa

R & my beautiful niece Ashley!!!

Silly boys...

<3 Handsome boys <3

Friday's Letters

TGIF!!!

Dear Rain - GO AWAY!!! Please, please, P-L-E-A-S-E don't ruin R's big day tomorrow. I am really looking forward to taking some beautiful family photos outside, I don't want to miss out on this golden opportunity. It's not every day that all seven of us are dressed up and together all in the same place!

Dear Baby M - Please behave in church tomorrow and do not give Aunt Chelle a hard time. I don't want to have the sweats because it's my kid screaming like a loon at the back of the church.

Dear Mom - I really wish you could be with us tomorrow as we celebrate this beautiful sacrament of 1st Holy Communion for my baby boy. It's funny how these things always seem to fall out on Mother's day weekend, & so close to your birthday... Although I miss you so much Every. Single. Day; I will be missing you extra over the next few days. Please watch over R tomorrow so that he may have a super special day. Daddy, Michele, Jay, M & I will be visiting the cemetery on Monday - flowers are in order for what should've been your 68th birthday <3 

Dear Brunch - I'm coming for ya on Sunday!!! Eggs Benedict you better watch your back :)

Dear Mommies - Happy Mother's Day! May you all have a wonderful day spent relaxing and being pampered by your beautiful families :) 

Have a good fantastic weekend everyone!!!

 

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday again....

I can hardly believe it!

With R making his 1st Holy Communion this Saturday, we have much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for our beautiful church and parish. Although we do not get there as often as I would like, we are always welcomed. Even though God and I have had a bit of a tumultuous relationship since my mom passed away, it is nice to know we have a place to go should we need him.

I am thankful for my wonderful sister and amazing best friend, who never let me down when I need them. They both helped me hand make chocolate covered Oreo favors for the party. It was a lot of "patshke-ing" as my bestie would say... so I definitely couldn't have done it without them! Thanks to Jay as well for helping me with final batch. <3

I am thankful that R's dad and I have come to a place where we can be civil and make decisions that are best for R. I was very concerned about the ceremony, having to plan & pay for this party and mix both sides of the family, but everything has gone very smoothly to date. It's nice that after all this time we can put aside our differences and do the right thing for our boy. Lord knows it isn't always this easy!

On a personal note, I'm thankful that I FINALLY finished week 3 of C25K!!!! I thought I was in pretty good shape, but this running thing is really kicking my A$$ people!!! I'm theoretically almost half way there. My goal for this week is to actually get out there at least 3 days - tentatively scheduled for Friday, Sunday & Tuesday. I'm hoping if I put it out there I will actually stick to it!!! Life gets in the way A LOT, but I am thankful I am able to carve out some time for me... healthy mommy = happy mommy!

Happy Thursday :)

Thankful Thursday

Hi all!

Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately... things have been very hectic planning for R's communion and I've been stuck late at work almost every day for the past 3 weeks. It SUCKS!!!

Anyway, today I'll be short and sweet. Though I am thankful for all of my children every day, today I am most thankful for my baby girl, who is 18 months old today!

I'm not really sure where 18 months have gone... A year and a half old!

How did that happen so quickly???

I definitely miss my squishy baby who went where ever we took her with a smile, but I am truly enamored by my toddler and her blossoming personality.

Sassy but so sweet, stubborn but so loving... she takes after her namesake in so many ways.

I'm not enjoying the tantrums almost every hour because she is insisting on doing what ever it is we are doing at that moment all by herself. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard "I do", I'd be one rich momma!!! Stressful as it can be, I am loving watching her come into her own. I love that she is always trying to help us out around the house, and always loving on her brothers so much. I swear she worships those boys!!!

I am so thankful to be blessed with 5 wonderful, healthy children; but today I am especially thankful that I was given the opportunity to be this beautiful little girl's mommy.

Here a few pics from this past week :)

Helping Daddy paint.

Being silly with Momma :)

Photo bomb from M!

She loves her slide!





Backyard fun!



Backyard fun!



What are you thankful for today?