I had a checkup with my OB on Monday. It went really well. I gained back the weight I lost but nothing else yet. I expect to start really packing it on in about another month. I am sticking to the increased dosage of steroids because I am able to walk about every other day without my knees getting too sore. I tried tapering down the other day and paid for it. So hell with that: if it's working and I'm not exploding with weight or trying to kill anyone, then why mess with it? I also heard the baby's heartbeat again which is always reassuring. He/she was moving around so much, that we could only hear the swishing sound of movement but eventually we got a heartbeat. My doctor said it was so amazing to hear it from her point of view because she has seen the inside of my guts. She removed so much endometriosis so many times that she is amazed this happened. I feel so freakin' blessed. So many of my endo sisters haven't been able to have children and after being infertile for a few years, I know how lucky I am.
When my dad was here, we bought and hauled a ton of dirt into the garden box. It took a day to do that and another day to plant it. Right after we filled it with dirt, manure and peat moss, two of the dogs plopped right into the garden. Horace looked happy as a clam to dig away in it. Therefore we decided in an effort to head off the bunnies who have been nibbling my marigolds and to thwart the little shits, errr beloved dogs, we would put up a little fence around it. Ron got that up right after planting and so far it's worked great. He separated one panel so I will be able to get the fence down to walk around in there when needed.
We have three tomatoes (plum, cheery and yellow), two peppers (green and yellow), white onions (Ron hollered at me because I didn't get the non-stinging kind), carrot seeds and a zucchini. I plan to snake the zucchini up along the fence when it starts to branch out.
This was an existing flower bed when we moved here. The big plant in the back will get some flowering shoots but I'm not sure what it is. I got four snapdragon plants on sale early in the spring and so far they are doing really well, despite the dogs stomping around in there.
Closeup of my bird feeding/flower garden. The crab grass is taking over and some of the bird seed has sprouted. I do lay down lawn clippings about twice a month to help enrich the soil and retain moisture. I don't want to put any weed or grass killer in there though because the birds and dogs could get sick.
Are these Tiger Lillies? These were here along with the Irises when we moved here. I love these! My neighbor has some in their front yard and they look lovely.
And here is an overview of the bird area. The decorative, light colored grass on the right is really taking over as well. I'm thinking of thinning that out.
I think this fall or next year we can do another garden box. Maybe that would hold the vining plants like zucchini and cucumbers. I did put in some rhubarb roots in the front yard on the south side where they will be unmolested or ingested by the dogs. I'd like to put some herbs in next year on either side of the rhubarb if it grows there.
Things are so much better now, it's a 180 degree turn around. I was so depressed a few months ago that I just wanted the earth to swallow me up. I'm so glad the docs worked together and got me on these drugs because even though I have a harder time sleeping, I have more energy and less pain. I learned that while it gives me more energy, it's not fool-proof. My dad's visit really wore me out. I was unable to do anything put lay around the house for the last day and a half he was here. But he seemed to understand and was content to have some baseball time on the tv in the guest room. I still swell up too but at least it seems to go away with some rest and compression wraps.
In the last four months I've learned to say no and to pull back and really concentrate on what I can do instead of what I can't do. This is the hardest part of having chronic illnesses: learn to focus on what you CAN do. I think it's especially tough in the winter when the sun is never out, it's so cold that everything hurts and you can't get out to exercise. I have talked to my counselor and I'll be getting a light box next winter as well as working a little more aggressively with the pain doctors after the baby is born. I really don't want to feel as shitty as I did this year with a newborn in the house. That terrifies me.
I've felt a lot of guilt for pulling out of most of my volunteer gigs. I want to help so badly but the physical and emotional demands were just beyond me right now. I try to do what I can to help animals through emails, social networking and donations. And Patton and I still go to the nursing home which is the best feeling in the world. I hope that someday I can go back to doing more but for now, things need to be this way.
Tomorrow I'm off to my old work place to see the Princess Dianna exhibit (in support of all the hard work my former co-workers did on it) before it leaves on Monday and then having lunch with my old gang. I'm so excited to see them! My coworkers were like my family for so long. I really miss the daily interaction I had with them. No matter how pissy I was or how weird I was, I was always in good company. And then Saturday I have pet therapy and then getting my hair done all pin-up and then the big event! I'm so excited to finally meet the founder of Pinups for Pit Bulls (Little Darling, who has been very sweet to me) and Shorty Rossi of Animal Planet's Pit Boss. If you are in the KC area, please come! You can still get tickets, go here to get them!
Whew, I need to take a nap just posting all of this. I don't know how long I'll last on Saturday but dammit I'm going.
Stay cool everyone, tschus!
