Saturday, May 9, 2009

Three Weeks (and Counting)

Greetings, all....I have not fallen off the planet or been ravaged by wild Texas pigs or anything.

Stuff has just been cuh-RAY-zee at my end of the zoo.

For starters, the lovely reaction I had to the sulfa drug took a full six days to get out of my system -- and for the duration I had a rash, hives, and itched like mad. It was like getting the chicken pox all over again, an experience I never thought I'd repeat. (I got them on my sixth birthday, at my grandparents' house. In south Florida at the end of June. And had to ride in the back seat of a naugahyde-upholstered station wagon with no air conditioning for 3 hours back to my house. Oh, the joy. And the itching.)

Sooo -- the stuff the doctor put me on was some pretty high-powered steroids and a strong antihistamine. This combination eventually took care of the problem, but basically had me "under the influence" for the duration. I tried driving to church on Sunday through a residential area....bad idea; someone else drove home because it looked like I was drunk. What a marvelous impression to give our new church. Oh, yes, and my face was still bright red up until about Tuesday of this past week.

(For those of you who are familiar with the Chicago Benadryl incident, this go-round was not quite so loopy or giggly...but I couldn't walk a straight line and spent most of week sleeping. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Chicago Benadryl incident, well, that may have to be elaborated on. Later. Maybe.)

The kids did fine. A had school during the weekdays, so I'd get up at 6, slam into a few walls and somehow get him out to the bus before stumbling back into the house and diving onto the sofa. When Miss K got up, PBS stations were my best friends -- I was in the living room with her, but pretty much in a stupor. (Incidentally, Sesame Street is really interesting when you're on mind-altering drugs. I may have created some new characters and dialogue, but I'm not sure).

Z actually works from home, so he could leave the door open to where he was working and keep an ear out for any "uh-oh"s emanating from the living room (mine or K's). What a fantastic blessing that he was home that week; he does have to travel here and there, from L.A. to D.C., and points in between.

Until he developed the stomach bug on Friday. Then things got interesting.

Then I got it on Tuesday morning, and things got even more interesting. I could not take my last dose of the meds, and you're not supposed to just quit taking them, you have to gradually come off of them. So of course my blood pressure shot up. Yee haw.

Here's a leetle tip: if there is any chance at all that you may develop a stomach virus, do not cook a very spicy marinara sauce and penne the night before.

SO after all that got out of our systems -- we've been fine! We had the sister of a dear friend move down here last week, and we watched her 21-month old daughter on Saturday while she got settled into her new house. K was very excited, because she played with this little girl in Maryland. K heaved a big sigh and said, "Daddy! We're home!" after J arrived at our house.

This has been an ongoing struggle with K -- she keeps asking us when we're going home (to Maryland), and we keep explaining that we live in Texas now. Things seem to be sinking in now that most of the house is unpacked and we have had the same routine now for three weeks.

Z has actually been here in Texas for three weeks now, wow! It's nice settling into a steady routine. I keep forgetting that I have been here a month longer than he has, and that he still doesn't know where some things are in town, though.

Kid updates soon -- although I will leave you with this little tidbit. Z bought some peach sherbet for dessert at the store, as a special treat because it's been up in the 90's pretty steadily for a couple of weeks now. As he was dishing it out, he asked K if she was ready for some sherbet. She said no, and had a doubtful expression on her face. This, coming from a girl who likes anything spelled "frozen dessert". It took her a minute to try it, after she saw mom and dad and her brother enjoying their bowls of sherbet.

We couldn't figure out her reticence until after she took a bite. Her eyes got really big, and she smiled, and said, "OH! This is so yummy! I like squirrel butt!"

I guess I'd be hesitant about trying something called "squirrel butt" too....

2 comments:

Alex and Melody Our Story said...

that was the most awesome post i've read in a while and i'm typing this with one hand while i eat chipotle. miss u soooooooooo much. love hearing about what's going on with you. give everyone a hug from me.

J H said...

Hey -- they just opened up a 5 guys AND a Chipotle close to where your sister lives.

Come visit.

Good food that you can get at your house awaits you here in the hinterland.

: )

~ JH