Friday, June 20, 2008

Ouchies for Mommy

Hubby and I at the Blue Jays game....lots of fun...I only fell asleep once in the 6th inning for about 30 seconds. (What can I say, it's not gymnastics or diving and I have a short attention span)! The Blue Jays got creamed by the way! I will admit that it was kinda fun to check out all the buns in uniforms. I have to say that some looked good and some didn't. And on this trip I found out that my husband truly loves himself! His exact words were, "I love myself".
We had been talking about how some people have a way of sabatoging their own lives and how most people don't love themselves enough. Apparently this is not a concern for him.
AAAhhhhhhh! Cliff and Carolyn! They are so cute together, don't you think?

On to the Ouchies for Mommy part:
I'm starting to feel a lot older than 30. About a month ago, I angered my knee doing too many of the same move that I knew I probably shouldn't have done in the first place. So I iced, elavated, and ibuprofened for a few days and it seemed to be fine. Ha-ha. Well, just this past Friday, I had gone to Chloe's school for "Eric Carl" day. We were all sitting around on the floor reading books. When I stood up my knee made this nasty clicking/sticking sound, my leg spasmed and I wanted to scream really loud and fall to the floor, but somehow managed to hold it in, take a few deep breaths, waited for my knee to shift back into place and then went on with my day. It stopped hurting after that. However, in all my guilt for not doing any cardio that morning we went back to the gym so that I could swim for a half hour. All went very well until I dedided to change things up a bit and do the breast stroke. In mid kick, my knee shifts, crunches and sticks causing my entire leg to cramp up. Momentarily I couldn't swim...until I remembered that I had the other 3/4 of my body that I could rely on. 30 seconds later it's over and I feel okay. So the girls and I leave the gym and go on our merry way. But Mommy is now limping. I go home ice, elavate, and ibuprofen. But in all honesty it hurts like ----!


By Saturday morning I'm using my crutch...I wanted to use two...but my mom had borrowed one for something a while ago....so it's not here. My wonderful friend Diana agreed to watch my children so the hubby and I could go on a double date with Carolyn and Cliff to a baseball game in Toronto. (planned months ago or I wouldn't have gone in the pain I was in)! I iced my knee on the way there and took A LOT of Ibuprofen. We had a great time....but now my knee is really HUGE!


We get back to Buffalo, pick up the kids, go to church the next AM. The knee is now bigger! My Mom and Dad came for dinner and brought my other crutch. Yeah! So nice!


Monday AM I'm calling around to all the different orthopeodic offices in the area. The first place I called couldn't get me in until July. That just would not do. The second place I called got me in on Thursday. Better than July! So I scheduled that appointment and said a little prayer. Then LJ and I go to pick Chloe up from school. In the parking lot I run into a lady that I know from the Y because I had her daughter in a tumbling class that I taught last year. She asks me what happened...I tell her...and she tells me that I need to go see her husband. Turns out, he's an orthopeodic doc with the group that I just made an appointment with. She calls his secretary and I was in his office an hour later! Amazing! Connections are such a wonderful thing!


So after taking x-rays and realizing that I have a 40 or 50 year old knee in my little 30 year old body...he taps my knee of A LOT of fuid and I almost pass out. Then he gave me some steroid shots to help with the pain. I left his office able to walk on my own without the crutches!


Getting old really sucks. Just two months ago I was contemplating doing Empire State Games for diving. I guess this is Heavenly Father's way of telling me to give it up and focus on more important things. I'm going back to teach my classes on Monday. I'll have to invent new ways to torture my pupils ...a way that takes knees completely out of the equation. I'll be good. I have no choice. They won't do surgery on my knee for another 10 yrs or so...because I really just need a whole knee replacement. Until then, I have to slow down a bit, get lots of injections, and hope for the best! Easier said than done.


I should have taken pictures of my knee but I guess I'm just too vain to do that. So instead I'll share some pics that we took at the baseball game!


Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Hangin' Around!

According to a test that this child took for a kindergarten screening, she has trouble with gross motor movements. Now, I really want to know what the heck they asked her to do during that test! She is quite coordinated and very strong. Not always graceful, but not lacking in any other way. Much to my dismay I think she's headed for the gym. I'm trying to keep her in the pool...but I think gymnastics is just running through her vains!
Now this child loves to hang and monkey around too...but isn't quite tall enough to do the same moves as her big sister. So she will wait until she gets a little older and a little bigger and I'm sure will give her big sis a run for her money!

Mural for my Mom

This is now on the wall at my Mom's school. She's the school nurse. Her office needed some cheering up. So, I think we accomplished that!
This section is my favorite!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything...because we've been busy with the day to day life and I'm tired. Anyway, a lot has happened so I will fill you in. A few weeks ago I went to my mom's school to finish a mural that I started exactly one year ago. Why has it taken so long? Because it's an hour 1/2 away from where I live now and her school is not exactly safe to go to on weekends. If you fear for your own life...you stay away when school is not in session. My kids stayed with one Nana while I went to paint with the other Nana. My mom created the design and started the colors while I came in and did the painting and unifying. It's still not quite done to my liking, definately needs some tweeking, but it looks much better than it did a year ago!