I did it

Well, I went through with my rhinoplasty/septoplasty.  Today is post-op day #4 and I'm finally up and around a little more.  The swelling has gone down and the bruising seems to be retracting some.  My nose continues to bleed on and off, so in addition to the splint cast, I have to keep making little drip pads that I tape onto my cheeks.  I've had a continuous headache, but the pain meds seem to take the edge off.  I feel super congested, like a bad sinus/head cold and just wish I could blow my nose.  I also can't taste anything for now.  I'm thinking that would be a great diet plan. (I'm down 6 pounds, yay?)  My eyes hurt and it's hard to read, so I've been sleeping a lot.  A cold wash cloth on my eyes is about the best thing ever.

My follow-up appointment isn't until Friday and that seems like an eternity from now.  That is when the splint and cast come off, along with the stents inside my nose come out.  My surgeon has called me every day to see how I'm doing.

It's hard to sleep and breathe through my mouth only.  I wake up every hour with an extremely dry  mouth.  It's so dry my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth or my teeth. Today, Day #4, I finally cut back my pain medicine and it's tolerable.  The surgeon said I could also take a decongestant to help with the stuffiness.

Morgan and Joey don't know what to think.  They just don't understand why Mama can't pick them up.  A few times already I've had Joe place them both in my lap on the recliner and the 3 of us sit there and snuggle.  Say a little prayer Joey doesn't hit me again!  Morgan just says "Mama has a boo-boo on her nose, wight?"

I went for a ride in the car today and it felt good to get some fresh air.  This surgery was no joke -  I'm borderline wishing I hadn't gone through with this, but I'm sure I will think differently when the cast comes off.  I just look a big hot mess right now.  Joe has been a rockstar, taking care of the kids (and me, though I like to think I'm a low-maintenance patient.  FYI, doctors?  Make not good nurses.  I call him Nurse Ratchet.)  My MIL has also bee stopping in to fix us food and do a little laundry/cleaning - thank God.

I thought I'd include some before and after pics for anyone interested in my progress, or someone thinking about rhinoplasty.  Like I've said before, I didn't have a problem with my nose before the injury.  I never would have even considered getting a nose job.  Obviously my "after" pics won't be up til I get my cast off on Friday, and even then, they say it takes 6 months to a year to see the full result and for all the swelling to go away.

Before:

This was right after the injury.  You can see how smashed to the side my nose is and how I was only breathing at about 15% on the left side.

Pre-Op, just about to go into surgery.

Right after we got home from surgery.  Post-Op Day #1.

Post-op Day #2

Post-op Day #3  The bruising was probably worst on this day

Post-op Day #4.  Bruising going away and swelling going down.  Still feel like a freak show.

I can't get the cast wet, so I have to be careful when I shower/wash my face (and I'm a religious face washer!!)  It's also tough to smile.  I have to sleep with 3-4 pillows, propped up or on the recliner.  I think the pain meds just make me sleepy enough that its comfortable.  I haven't bothered with makeup since last Thursday, although I tried a little concealer over my bruises today and it didn't do a thing, so I guess I just have to wait them out.

Some day I will tell this little guy the story and we can all laugh about it.  He's just so darn cute!!!

Just In Case

My surgery date is set for this Friday.  I'm majorly anxious.  So of course I needed to update the old blog in case....well....who knows.  For those out of the loop of my dramatics, I'm having a nose repair job, or septoplasty/rhinoplasty with a spreader graft placement if you want to get technical.  All stemming from my sweet son bashing me in the face with a toy and breaking the cartilage in my nose.

What if I don't wake up?  What if my face gets all hacked up?  What if I lose my sense of smell?  Or worse, taste?  What if I look like Frankenstein?  What if it hurts a lot?  What if I look different, and not in a good way?  What if I sob my face off when waking up from Anesthesia, like I did when I had my wisdom teeth extracted?  Did you know you can get toxic shock syndrome from the packing, just like a tampon?  It's no wonder I'm not sleeping well.

At least next week is Halloween, so I'm ordering this to be ready:

To keep my mind off it, I've been househunting like it's my fulltime job.  We found two properties we like, but one is out of our price range and the other isn't even technically "available".  Don't think that stopped me from stalking both places though.  And I'm not shy about it either, I get right up there in the driveway, lol.

I've also been starting some decorating projects in our home.  Things that I want done and that will still be good for resale if we decide to list our house soon.  Which we might.  Or not.  We're incredibly indecisive.  Although I spoke with our realtor today and she's coming over to check out the casa soon, so I guess...we are?

And lest the kidlets feel neglected, they deserve mention on le blog.  Someone left the baby gate open and Joey took an unscheduled fall down the flight of 15 stairs last night.  I ran after the hubs screaming "Sh*T! Sh*T! Sh*T!"  (I'm real good in a crisis like that.)  He's fine though.  We called the Ped just to be sure and we watched him overnight, waking him around midnight just to be sure.

We hit up the Pumpkin Patch again last weekend and had fun.  I'll be sad when they close for the season. 

Since I just can't seem to let things be, I'm thinking about getting the Mom Bob.  Everyone's doing it!  My raggy old lady ends aren't doing me any favors these days either.  We'll see how the nose shakes out before I go chopping off any hair.

Catching Up

I've been sick for 10 days now.  I finally felt bad enough that when I went in to get my flu shot, I asked to be seen by the Nurse Practitioner, who diagnosed me with a sinus infection and an ear infection.  (Who gets ear infections over the age of 2?!?)  I also diagnosed myself with Mono, but nobody's buying that.

The NP gave me a note for "time off work".  I laughed and explained to her that as a SAHM that's not gonna fly.  I did, however, try giving that note to my husband.  Which, of course, was met with lots of laughter.

I'm finally starting to feel mildly better.  Even the Columbus Day sales that were happening didn't perk me up.  And believe me, it was almost physically painful to see all my little emails come in, trying to lure me to have a little lookey-loo and think "I don't care".  (See, I knew I was sick.)

We still made it to all of our activities this week.  I knew the kids HAD to make it to the last session of Teeter Tots because a) they need to burn off that energy and b) we were starting to miss more than we were going.  I was a sweaty mess, but they had fun and were sufficiently worn out.  Mission accomplished ;-)

Anyhoo, the big fall party for the hospital is tonight and we've decided to stay home.  Womp womp.  I barely have the energy to shower, let alone get dolled up and be social.  Plus the husband's on call all weekend again, so I need to reserve my energy.  Lately it is ESSENTIAL that MoJo gets out of the house every day, lest they drive their mother insane.  So I'm hoping I feel up to taking them places this weekend.  I bought a Groupon for Totters Otterville and have heard great things, so maybe we'll check it out.  And sometime when I have more energy, I shall share the story of how we are probably banned from Story Time at the Library thanks to a certain wild little boy who shall remain nameless.

In the meantime, the Husband and I are catching up on Season 2 of American Horror Story.  And I couldn't be more thrilled that The Walking Dead has started up again!

Saw these cute snack ideas on Pinterest and am going to try them out this weekend, we need to jazz up our snacks around here:

{VIA}

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Oh, and did I mention my Husband bought a pig?  It's now in our freezer.  I made a big ole' ham in the crock pot (emphasis on BIG).  Then I made Lentil Soup with the leftovers and we will be eating that for weeks to come.  It was my first time making Lentil Soup and it turned out pretty darn good.  I'm slowly becoming domesticated, or at least it feels that way whenever I have a crock pot success.

Hope you all have a fabulous fall weekend!

I love ACV

This summer I was choking down an Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) concoction for it's alleged health benefits (and I did notice several).  But man was it nasty.

I've had a wretched cold/virus for the past week now and one thing that truly feels soothing and good?  Is ACV, done different.  I mix 2 Tblsp ACV + 3/4 cup water + a WHOLE LOTTA honey + a WHOLE LOTTA cinnamon, heat it in the microwave for a minute = *VOILA!* It's like a hot apple cider and it's so good.

I've felt crappy, and so has Joey, but we've been keeping up our new fall routine of running somewhere every day.  I've also been taking the kids to the park a lot so they can run around and "get their wiggles out" as Morgan says.

They are just so darn cute, I wish I could bottle up this age forever (but not the neediness, oh LAWD the neediness!)  I just keep reminding myself they won't always need me this much.  For some reason I'm really babying Joey a lot lately.  I love to hold him and cradle him, like he's an infant.  Except he's a big man child now who is very squirmy and just wants to climb, climb, climb!

My baby.  Soaking wet, which necessitated a morning speed bath.

 He's really into sitting on chairs now.  Which is cool, until he starts climbing them and using them to climb on other (higher!) things.  He's too smart and too agile for his own good.  He's also adding new words to his vocabulary:  This week it's been "Pumpkin, Blanket, Ice Cream (we went to a birthday party), Shoes, and Nose".

 They are obsessed with me pulling them around in empty laundry baskets.

 Morgan is really noticing and remembering every thing these days.  I wore a new pair of earrings that my MIL gave me as a birthday gift and she looked at them one morning and said "Oh! Mama, those are new!!"  We've had several nights of her getting out of her toddler bed and not wanting to go to sleep, so that's been fun.

They make every day exhausting, but so much fun.

Our Week

Ah, love me some Friday.

I was getting a little too cocky thinking "Man, now that I have kids, I never get sick anymore!  My immune system rocks"  Throw in a few open-mouth kisses from Joey and BAM! Sick Mama.  I had a nasty head cold that is finally going away.  I can still only hear out of one ear and am going to have to get a job to support my Puffs Plus & hot tea consumption, but other than that, I'm on the mend.

Our week looked a bit like this:

Daddy was working late, so we went to the park after dinner for an evening swing sesh.  It was promptly cut short by Joey trying to climb up the slide and busting his lip open.

We also went on a few drives to go scope out houses and properties.  We are starting to look for a new house or land to build on.  Pickins are slim in our town, so we are starting to look a bit further out.  I'm just not thrilled with being way out in the middle of nowhere though.  Can't I just have it all?  I don't ask for much:  A view of the city (OK, that one's least important), a FLAT back yard that's big enough for the kids, a house that isn't 100 years old and DOESN'T need $$$ work done, an attached garage...and neighbors that aren't 1.75 inches away from me.

Two houses I drove to this week were on streets that only one car can drive down at a time, meaning, if an oncoming car is headed your way, one of you needs to pull over.  What's up with that???

 Anyway, got off track there...back to our week.  Up bright and early to take Mo to pre-school:

At Joey's 15-month checkup:

 He weighs 24.5 pounds (I couldn't believe this, he feels much heavier!), is 31 inches tall, and growing right on track.  He had to get FOUR shots yesterday, uggh.  But he only cried a little bit and took them like a champ.  Morgan also got her flu vaccine and let's just say she didn't take it as well.  I have to go get mine today and I'm dreading it.  I have NO problem giving the shots ;-)  But being on the other side of the needle sucks.

Daddy bought Joey this from the Princess Bride.  Recognize it?  "A rat of unusual size"

 I sent Daddy a text telling him "Congratulations on buying the ugliest thing in our house"

The kids helped me water my flowers.  With a hope and prayer, maybe they'll live longer than a month?

Morgan's been going back and forth between her toddler bed and the "big bed" up in her room.  Last night she fell out of big bed around 2am.  This isn't the first time.  So I end up sleeping with her.  At least she doesn't snore.

I'm off to begin working on a BIG paper I have due for school and other assignments that are due.  It never ends.  On another note, Joey's Ped unoficially offered me a job when I finish NP school.  I didn't have the heart to tell him no way could I deal with the annoying parents (like me!)

Fun Fall Weekend

We had a fantastic little family weekend.

Saturday morning we took the kids for a quick lunch at Chick-Fil-A where we ran into a few Disney Princesses.  Typical Saturday, right?

 Then we went out to the Neltner Farm for the Pumpkin Patch and other fall festivities.  That place was GREAT.  The kids got to run around, Morgan rode the miniature pony (and LOVED every second of it), we picked out pumpkins, did a little wine tasting, and brought home some baked goods and jam.  It was hot & sticky out, but the kids didn't seem to mind.  I love this age, they are having fun doing these kinds of outings and that makes me so happy.

 Morgan picked the smallest pony they had and he was the perfect size for her.  She is a natural when it comes to riding and just loves it.

Saturday night we got a sitter and went out to meet up with some of Joe's dialysis staff for a little casino party.  We drove to the wrong casino and ended up having to drive to Indiana to the right one.  It was a fun night of dancing like fools to 80's & 90's music at the casino disco (that's what I called it) and people watching.  Too bad someone slipped something into my wine and felt like I'd been hit by a bus on Sunday (that's the only explanation for it, right? lol).

Sunday we had a lazy day at home in our jammies.  I made white chicken chili (that was too spicy for the littles, ooops) and we snacked on pumpkin bread and watched Hocus Pocus.  I rarely ever watch movies and had never seen that one!  I feel like whenever someone asks me "Have you seen _______ movie?" My answer is always "No".  So now I can cross that one off my list.  The weekend was also spent doing a fair amount of homework.  Absurd.  But midterm is this week so I just have to stay focused.

Morgan is really getting into Halloween and asks multiple times every day about her Minnie Costume (I tell her it's getting cleaned for Halloween).  All in all, it was a great weekend and we are hoping to go back to the pumpkin patch this season.

Eat, Drink & Be Scary

Eat:  I made Beefy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers and they were insanely good.  All 4 eaters were pleased in this house, so that was a big win.  Recipe HERE (my substitutions: I used ground turkey in place of the ground beef, I used an organic brown rice/quinoa blend that we get from Costco, and I also sprinkled a little shredded cheese on top toward the end of baking).

Drink:  Coffee.  Or just inject it straight IV please.  I've been having 2:00 "reheaters" and they power me through the rest of the day. (A doctor I used to work with always drank day-old coffee, reheated.  So it's totally safe.  I didn't say it was as good as fresh though.)

Be Scary:  Pressure's off for me & the Hubby to find a Halloween costume this year - just found out our beloved Gala is not happening, and instead they're having a Masquerade Ball in the spring next year.  Good.  Stresses me out trying to come up with a costume.

Instead I'm obsessed with dressing the kids in Halloween jammies:

Cutest punkins ever.  

I think the glow in the dark jammies woke Joey up the other night and he was a little scared, ha!

The Rest:  Morgan wore an outfit - of her choosing - OTHER THAN her birdie dress/star shirt/Minnie costume.  TWICE.  I don't even want to get my hopes up...but I am.  She still has no interest in potty training, but tells me all the time "I sit on the potty and I get tattoos?  And ice cream?"  I've pretty much promised her everything but a trip to Mars if she is willing to sit on the potty.

I'm making progress in my living room makeover/Spruce-Up and it dawned on me I could bring a professional on board.  Or I could get it halfway there, not quite right, and just abandon it altogether like I do all the other projects in my house.  Because that's been working SO well for me.

My DAD offered to help me fly to MN with the kids to see my family (me + 2 Toddlers on a plane?  I KNOW there's not enough booze in flight to make that possible) next month...so this might actually happen?  We'll see.  We're big talkers in my family.

We're having a tree guy come over today to plot out where some big new trees will be planted in our backyard.  I'm looking forward to the entire town not being able to see directly into my house when they drive by.  Exciting adult stuff happening here, people. (Not in  my house, I mean the tree purchase!  You know, money that could be used for shoes, purses & fall wardrobe necessities...and home updates?)

And apparently Fall has arrived.  Today.  It's like 55 degrees out and I kinda love it.

Loving Now (Cheap Thrills)

I'm recovering from my birthday, which was actually very low key.  It consisted of pizza, birthday cake, and candy corn + peanuts  (isn't that the best combo ever invented?)  So by "recovering", I mean from all the sugar and fat I consumed.  I got to spend the day & evening with my favorite people in the whole world, so I was happy.  That's all I really need. 

Not to get too deep on this here old blog, but ANY birthday is better than the one I had 8 years ago.  My mother died the day before my 29th birthday.  We spent my actual birthday at the funeral home, making arrangements and choosing her coffin.  What I wouldn't give to have her here with us today.  We all miss her so much, it still doesn't seem real.

Anyway, on to happier topics:  Today I'm taking the kids with me to find some mums for our front step...that always makes me happy.  Until they die on me.  My mom always had BEAUTIFUL flowers...apparently I didn't inherit that gene from her.

I really want a pair of booties for fall.  I've been lusting after these Steve Madden Panelopes, but at $100, I couldn't really justify getting both black AND taupe.  (Clearly I'd need both, right?)  Plus I'm so fickle...who knows if I'll wear them next year?  And would I really wear anything with a heel, chasing after two monkeys?  I'm just being honest...

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So I was thrilled to find these at Target for $30...in both colors....in my size!

Speaking of cheap thrills...I picked up this lightweight flannel and I've been wearing it every day...it's SO comfy.  Every time I wear a flannel, my husband refers to it as my lumberjack shirt.

VIA...And ALWAYS ONLY with a coupon!

If I had a big endless pot o'money, I'd invest in these:

VIA Nordy's

But instead I bought MoJo holiday themed jammies from a Zulily sale (and still had money leftover)...dressing them in matching jams is WAY more fun than one pair of shoes could provide.

I've heard people rave over these Nest candles...now I need to know if they are truly any better than my beloved B&BW candles:

VIA

I'm also obsessed with this living room image:

VIA HERE

I love how clean, calm, and comfy it looks.  I have WAY too much going on in our living room with all the colors & patterns, so this is my inspiration.  I've already got a tan/neutral sofa, so all I need are some pillows & throws.  I'd also like to swap out the window treatments (which freaks me out -- such a commitment!), maybe paint, and definitely get some art up on the walls that coordinates.  I'm still undecided on whether we have enough space for both an ottoman and a coffee table.

A couple of points I may regret later:  Nearly white furnishing?  Candles?  Hmm...I might need to re-think some of this with 2 sticky-handed daredevils running around.

I'm on a mission to de-clutter our house.  It feels so crowded because of all the toys/junk we've accumulated and I know our home would feel 10x bigger if we did a big purge  I'm ready to haul all the toys to Goodwill, gah!  I feel like they are taking over our home...in every room, nook and cranny.  How did it get to this point?  I'm curious how other people keep their toys organized (and out of sight).