First Cold and Family stuff

Oh my little cookie has her first cold. My two really good friends came in from out of town this weekend. One of them had a cold and I assumed he got sick only because he was run down. He had been working like a dog. Well, I underestimated that little bug, because both baby and I got it.  Yesterday I had a really scratch throat, stuffy nose, etc.....and I should have known baby wasn't feeling well because she was pretty fussy from 6-12 midnight last night. She didn't want bottle, pacifier, rocked, held, nada. She seems to have these episodes when something is off. Like last time this happened she filled two diapers w/ poopy at the end of that night!  About early 3am she started sneezing greenish stuff and being totally congested.  Nanny came today and while I slept for the 4 hours she was here, she gave my baby some vapo rub.  When I woke up I checked her temp and she had a 'slight' fever at 99 degrees. Gave her some tylenol, held her....and am feeding her whenever she wants. She's only eating an ounce or so....but I'm not pushing it.  I know what it's like to feel like crap.

One thing that's got me bunched up is my family...or so-called family.  I have a Dad, mom passed away 4 years ago, 2 older sisters, and one younger brother.  My sisters are 41, 39, I am 37...brother 32.  The 41 year old is the one I am closest to and talk to about every day. We've had our own bumpy past, but since my mom died we have really grown much closer. The 39 year old is married to an emotional alcoholic abuser and has 3 kids. My nieces are 16, 12, and nephew 14.  My brother is not married.

Basically I am a bit disappointed/irritated at everyone except my 41 year old sister. 

First, my Dad has yet to call and say congratulations about the baby. Yup that's right....she was born 2 months ago.  I assume it's because I didn't call him to tell him I was pregnant during the pregnancy. I just didn't feel the need....we don't have a relationship and honestly I think he has Asperger's.  He's been a major source of stress throughout my life and is not fun to be around....you always had to walk on eggshells. He was physically there, but not emotionally there....not towards my mom either.  Anyway, he's one of those who would say, "Why should I?  She didn't call me!".  It is soooo typical.  Not that there would be a normal grandparent/grandchild relationship since I live here.....but at least acknowledge.  I recently got some pictures for family/friends and my 41 year old sister asked me if I got one for my Dad. Sad to say I hadn't even thought of him when I ordered.  Anyway, she said I should probably send one. Well, I caved and did.  I even put my phone number in the little letter.  He called my siblings to ask my address awhile ago. Why wouldn't he call me and just ask?  So irritating and typical.

Next, I called my sister in the abusive relationship about the holidays last week. I asked her what her plans were and would it be easier to meet up at Thanksgiving or Christmas so they could all meet the baby...I would flex my flight plans depending on what she could do.  I could tell her husband was sitting there when I called because she always has this "tone" in her voice....and she then would ask him what they could do.  Seriously.  Since they are only 2hours from my uncles, I was thinking it would be easier for her to meet us there.  Anyway, during the call last week she said they would talk it over and she would for sure call me and let me know what would work.  I asked to let me know soon because I would need to book my flights.
Do you know I have yet to hear from her?
Of course this is not a shocker.....holidays are always a source of contention.  When their kids were younger, she/her husband "withheld" the kids from our family during holidays as punishment when they would be upset about something. This really upset my mom sooo much....but since her passing my other siblings and I don't play that game. We say if you can make it fine, if not fine.  Up to you.
But this year there is a new baby....my baby....and her cousins (16, 14, and 12) are dying to meet her.  And her stupid ass parents can't get their shit together so their kids can meet their cousin.  So,  I went ahead and booked the Thanksgiving flight based on what worked best for me and baby.  Can't worry about them.

Finally, I am not too close w/ my brother, but I decided to call him a few days ago to check in.  Left a voicemail....heard nothing.  Then I texted yesterday that I would be going to Thanksgiving (which coincidentally is 2 hours from him too), and if he wanted to meet his new niece there he could.  Nothing.  So today, I sent a text saying, "ummm....are you there?".....Nothing.  What the frack?!

I think I am upset because there must have been a small part of me that thought w/ the new baby in the picture, they might behave differently. Might make an effort. Might show they care enough to make an effort to meet their niece.....just a little bit. Well, I should have known.  It's disappointing, but mostly it makes me feel lonely....like my family unit really is dissolved since my mom died and it's just me and my sister.  I have to be thankful for that, but even that relationship is tough sometimes because my sister is somewhat emotionally unstable and has highs and lows.  I am not at a place where I can rely on her to "be there" for me.....

I can't think too much more about it because it will just get me upset.  I just feel bad that my daughter won't have much of a relationship w/ my immediate family, and of course she doesn't have her biological father side of the family.  What does she have for family? What does that leave her?  Yes she has me and my sister.....but that's so little.  She deserves much more.  It just makes me feel somewhat selfish that I brought her in this world---wanting her so much---knowing that her extended family would be limited.  She wouldn't have any grandmas.....she doesn't really have a grandpa.  Her aunt and uncle are ridiculous.  I knew this already.  But, my drive to mother her overrode those shortcomings.....I guess what I am really saying is....will I be enough for her?  Only time will tell if she thinks so. 
The other thing I realized is I miss someone mothering me.  When push comes to shove, I don't have the big hug to turn to from my mom....no spouse....it just is tough.  Sometimes I just want someone to take care of me too, you know?

And to top off my day, my cat threw up all over my formal living room sofa.

Little Doll

I am such a proud mama.  I can't tell you the number of times complete strangers have come up to us in the store and say "She looks just like a little doll".  I have to admit....when she is sleeping she kind of does.  I may be biased, but I think my baby is the cutest thing. Just like most moms...I can hold her and just stare at her little eyelashes, mouth, ears.....

And, I think it's time to share her.  I really enjoy pictures of other moms and babies, so here she is....Baby Girl....this is one of the pics that was taken from the gift my friends gave me. The package I got allowed me to have the digital original image for 5 of the photos...this is one that I chose...

12 Days old

She has changed a lot as well (just turned 8 weeks old)....so here is a picture of her that I took yesterday snapped from Iphone.

8 weeks 1 day old

I really love this little baby so much.  The longer we are together the more my heart grows for her.  Just the other day she smiled a REAL smile.  She's had those half smiles, etc.. but one of the books I am reading says a real smile is when they smile w/ their whole face, not just their mouth. And she DID!  It was soooo cute. She doesn't do it very often, and frankly I was starting to wonder about when she would start interacting more. She still isn't overly interactive, but I think that's to be expected considering her adjusted age is still just 3 weeks old. I have to keep that in mind.

We had a marathon evening tonight where she had major tummy issues.  She just couldn't settle down and fall asleep. Alternate periods of crying, sleeping, eating, pacifier, burping, rocking, soothing, etc and not sleeping soundly....for last 5 hours.  This happens once in a while and then I know she is really uncomfortable. Sure enough at about 10pm I changed her diaper (again) and she had some poops.  It was very formed (again) which means she is still constipated. This started about a week ago when I changed her to soy formula. Once she had the second diaper of formed poops to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I quickly took her off soy and have changed again....long story but we have tried 5 formulas for spit up, gas issues..and none seem to resolve them all.  So, we are back to square one and are on the spitup formula. The Dr. recommends the orange for gas and fussiness so when we go to store will pick that up. We tried that too, but not long enough to know if it would help.  I do hope taking her off soy will help her have better poops!

By the way I took her to the Dr. for her 2 month check up and she is at 8lbs 14oz.  She also grew to 21.5 inches...from 17 inches, that's pretty good!  She got her shots and took them like a champ. She cried at first, but quickly calmed down. I told her how proud I was of her....and explained mama was making sure she stayed healthy.

Ahhh the things we talk about now, huh? bodily functions, sleeping, crying.  And since I am not back to work yet, that is what I am consumed with.  But I do enjoy it. 

I am soooooo glad I have the nanny and decided to have her work part time for the 4 hours during the week. In fact, I just asked her to work tuesdays too....so she now works M, T, W, and Th from 10-2pm.  It give me enough of a break where I can collect myself by resting, running errands, etc. and be ready to handle the other 20 hours of the day.  And honestly, after Fri-Sun I am really ready for her to come again Monday.  It's not that I don't enjoy taking care of baby...I do. It's just any normal person needs a break.

Physically, I have regained my energy level and feel pretty much healed. I still have some soreness at the incision site, but expect that to remain for awhile.  The one thing that hasn't healed is my bladder. For some reason I am still having issues, so my Dr. told me I needed to go see a urologist.  As for my OB, I have been officially released.  It was kind of sad, really....since I have spent so much time there and have gotten to know them. 

I go back to work full time November 1 and not sure how I feel about it.  My mental mind is excited to get back in the problem solving, but being away from her that long every day is what I don't know how that will go.  I did ask my boss if he is okay having me work from home 1 day a week to start with. He agreed and we'll decide whether it is two 4 hour blocks on 2 days, or 1 day.  either would be fine w/ me.

Lots of other projects I have been thinking about and working on....still have some things to remodel in my house and have been talking to contractors. It's amazing how many things I can find to do to occupy myself. One thing I need to do is start working out again...I was thinking back several years ago how active I was...playing sports 2 days a week and working out the other several days.  Right now I don't work out at all. All in due time....sheesh.

Hope those of you who read this blog enjoy the pics of my little baby cookie.

Acne, Spit up, and more......

The baby, not me.....yes, I was so proud of my baby's soft skin, looking so perfect when she was born. My baby couldn't possibly get baby acne, right?  Well, she's got a small case of it....comes in patches, then goes away, then another set comes on. I am wondering if it's in reaction to anything I am doing, so will have to watch it.

Tummy troubles galore starting from week 3. On Tuesday we hit week 7, so that is about for the last month.  At first she started arching her back, pulling her legs, fussing a lot because she was so uncomfortable, had LOTS of stinky gas....pee-euw!..in addition, she didn't have a poopy diaper for about a week! I called the Dr. 3 times during then to make sure it was ok. Dr. said it was.  In addition, she had been spitting up sooooo much.  It started to become every single time I fed her, and sometimes it came up so strong it would come out her nose, poor thing. With all that, I thought maybe she had reflux.
Took her in to the Dr. and Dr. agreed and gave her 1 RX, didn't work....tried another....didn't work...tried a THIRD and it didn't work.  In the meantime, with the RX's really bombing out, I've been trying different formulas to see if that would help also.

In the last month we have tried going on 5 formulas now....she started on the simi for spitup, then I tried simi for gas and fussiness, then I tried enfa AR which is supposed to help w/ spit up since they put a bit of rice in it, then the Dr. recommended the specialty formula for cow milk sensitivity (not allergy). This stuff seemed to be okay, but man does it smell.....but tummy and spit up issues continued......so just last night I researched online and found a lot of people had success w/ the soy formula. So, got that today and we tried it in 2 bottles now.  It seems to have impacted the spitup as she only spit up once afterwards and was able to burp w/out her formula coming out w/ it!!
Crossing my fingers it helps.......

I also started reading some baby books---the whisperer book, the what to expect first year book.....some good information in the whisperer book. She talks about what type of baby you have, how to comfort/communicate w/ that type...what different cries mean, etc.. The one thing she said that is sticking w/ me is that your baby is an individual and you need to respect her space i.e. tell her everything you are doing. For example, if you are changing her diaper, rather than quickly undress, move her legs around, etc..which  might be alarming and confusing to baby, you simply need to explain what you are doing to her and walk her through it.  It sounds silly, but her philosophies are pretty interesting.....she is also an advocate of a structured routine...I don't want to say schedule, because it can be somewhat flexible....but it talks about eating, then play, then sleep, repeat....it will then get your child to sleep through night.  I actually found this helpful because I was thinking that after feeding she should go right to sleep and was wondering why she wasn't. Seems she was smarter than I and was already following the book.
I also learned that there are things that my baby can do now, even this early...I haven't been doing too much in terms of stimulation. I just assumed since she's so little she should be sleeping all the time. Well, she should, but she can also do way more than I knew....for example, I got a stuffed animal out w/ stripes on it. I showed it to her and she really stared at it intently.....then I moved it and she tracked it w/ her eyes. Then I took her hand and told her how soft it was, etc...It was actually really neat to be interacting w/ her like that. It just hadn't occurred to me....

I can say, though, that it's really easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself about what you are/are not doing....there are so many books and advice out there...what do you follow?  I'm at least reading some recommended books...step one....then trying some of those things out.  Heck, we don't come wired w/ knowing how to do all this stuff!

I've been super focused on her tummy issues that I haven't really done a whole lot else.....oh, my nanny started 2 weeks ago.  So far, everything is going well. She has come in, on time....done some extra things around the house (she asked me to buy a mop. I certainly didn't expect that she would do heavy cleaning). I need to pull together our agreement about what she does when she's here so that we are both on the same page....but right now since it's only 4 hours M, W, TH from 10-2, it's fine for now.  Honestly, what I do mostly when she comes is hibernate in my room and sleep.  It is just so nice to sleep w/out having to have the baby listening ear out. I can completely relax.

I am really really glad I have the nanny right now. It helps to give me some space and breaks. I actually could see her coming even more during next 5 weeks I have left for maternity leave.  The thing I am not sure about is that it is really expensive when I start back full time. I knew it would be, but I reasoned that daycares were about 3-400 cheaper per month, so for the convenience of not having to drag her to a daycare, the germs, etc.. it is so worth it.  That is until a friend of mine recently came over and shared that a daycare she uses quite close to me is less than HALF of what I will be paying the nanny for full time. OH WOW. When you look at it that way, that is a significant difference.
So, I plan to just go and check out the daycare and see what it is like. Get a vibe for it.  I also am thinking about networking to see if another family close by wants to do a nanny share....that may be a good solution i.e. can still have nanny here, but costs go down.....will see.

Wow...lots of things on my mind, I guess...I know this is a bit of a "debrief" post and I haven't really gone into my feelings.  What I will say is that the one thing I am obsessed w/ and think about a lot is that my baby is starting to look more and more like the donor. She has his eyes and nose, I think.  I don't know why this is sticking me so much.....and it's bothering me. Maybe it's the unfamiliarity of her being more like someone I really don't know well......maybe it was the expectation I had that I hoped she looked like me.....not sure. And yes, I do know that she is only 7 weeks old almost and she will for sure keep changing.....but I can't help it for now.

I am thankful for the followers that I have and those that comment. I read every single one.  I am also thankful that I don' t have a lot of followers. I would feel a lot of pressure to keep things interesting, keep lots of posts coming......so for those that read this, thank you. I appreciate your support.

It is now 1:49am and I need to sign off. I had caffeine today....oh boy.

Mommyhood

I am so happy to say the title applies to me.  Sometimes I look at her and think it's still hard to believe that I was already 9 months pregnant, gave birth, and she has been home and she is 5 1/2 weeks old.  It's like yesterday I walked into the living room where she was sleeping and just caught myself realizing I have a baby. It sounds strange to say, because of course I have a baby....but I think maybe it's all still sinking in.

There are also a lot of other things I am realizing....like it's so great to connect w/ other moms about what my baby is doing.  I had a photographer here (my friends gave me this awesome gift as a shower gift), and she recently had a baby too...hers is 5 months old.  We were talking about the reflux (which my baby still has and we still haven't gotten it better just yet) and her baby had it too. She told me all the things she tried, then the medicine routine (same as what I just went through), and told me about the rock and play sleeper that has been so helpful --I went out and bought one today.  For some reason it just felt soooo good to talk w/ her. I just felt such a connection and a relief to talk to someone who "knows".

The realization is that I need to get joined up w/ other moms.....the baby and I are sort of in our little cocoon--don't get me wrong we go out to stores, friends' houses, restaurants, and many people have come over to visit...but it would also be nice to meet up w/ other moms--in whatever way.  It just makes me feel soooo much better about what is happening, her growth, things I can expect, tips/tricks, etc...

Also, the love for this baby keeps growing and growing.  I looked at her the other day and she does this half smile and makes this noise like he-hehe. A bit like a giggle. Even though it is involuntary it is the cutest thing ever.My heart just swelled.

She is still pretty little....but she weighed 7lbs 5oz at last Dr. visit.  That's up a pound and a half.  That's great! But, she is putting on weight in spite of the reflux problem.

It's hard to get much done during the day. I spend a lot of time thinking about things I think I need to do, but crossing maybe one thing off every few days.  And the thing is, most of the "stuff" I think I need to get done is silly stuff like catalog some receipts, enter my cat reward points, call X, Y, Z, order furniture, etc......stuff that really isn't all that important, but for some reason I have this anxiousness about it like it really is...
It's hard for me to disconnect my mind from the tasks I've given myself and just be in the moment.   I have to consciously do it...which I have been successful many times....but it is not natural and takes effort.

I am hopeful others relate to this......I don't know why we do it.....

Other than my mind straying and thinking I need to get a bunch of stuff done....I have spent  alot of time holding my baby and just looking at her.  I love doing that.

1 month

W-O-W.  Tomorrow will be 1 month since having baby girl. I can believe it, and I can't.  Since first week was spent in the hospital, we have actually been home about 3 weeks.  The transition home w/ a new baby has gone really really well. I am not sure what I expected....maybe a screaming baby 24/7, me tearing my hair out, crying because I am so overwhelmed, depression creeping in....I don't know. But, honestly none of those things have happened. 
I am quite surprised at how 'easy' this change has been for me. It feels natural and calm with her, so I am not stressed out.  Where I do get stressed is if we are coming home from somewhere and it is past her feeding time and she is really crying...that has happened only once and it made me a wreck...so I try to avoid at all costs. Maybe it's my mindset, because I often remind myself to "be calm"....and I do believe the baby feeds off of my energy.

I think what's helped is I've done my best to incorporate 2 pieces of advice that almost everyone says....sleep when baby sleeps AND enjoy these newborn times since they go quickly.  Yes, there is a lot of laundry. Yes, I am tired.  BUT, when I hold her and caress her arms or feel her little feet kicking on my leg, it is quite wonderful.  I'll be honest and say that it is challenging when there are times I just want her to go back to sleep because it's the middle of the night, or I need to eat dinner myself......but I keep it in the front of mind always that when I am tired to take a deep breath, relax, and know that sleep will get better.

The hardest part has been when I have had people here, and then they go home.  I quickly get used to having a second pair of hands, then when they go, I get anxious realizing it is just me again. By myself.  I had my good friend here for the birth and she stayed almost two weeks. The amount she did for me is incredible. She took care of all those things I wouldn't have even thought of...and more. I cried buckets when she went home.  Then this past 5 days my sister came to visit. It was also wonderful having her here because a) she loves my baby and it was the first time she met her b) she made me get organized and clear out all boxes left over from the move. She also did a lot of other things, cooked, cleaned, loaded up the car so I could take donations to thrift store (and it was 2 carloads!). She did a lot of the heavy lifting, no pun intended, and it was just so nice to have her here to talk to, relax with, share baby care duties, etc..
She left this morning and I cried a lot again.  There is this sadness/emptiness that washes over me when someone I care about goes home. Certainly more pronounced since having the baby.  Perhaps hormones have something to do w/ it because I continue to sweat a lot too! Right now I have to keep wiping my forehead.

It just makes me think about my proximity to extended family and my future here. I am here for a reason now 1) to become pregnant and have baby girl and 2) my career 3) give myself option of having baby number 2 w/ the company I work for because they have insurance for IVF.  But, I just see myself wanting/ really needing to be closer to family however that turns out.  I continue to look at job sites back home, but realize the type of career I have here wouldn't be the same there--industries are much different.  And that may be ok.  I honestly could see myself moving back, buying a house outright so no mortgage to worry about, working part time (with health insurance) and spending the other times being a mom.  That is what I can envision for myself.

In lieu of family here, I have sought childcare options. I put an ad on one of the websites for nanny care, and I have also tapped into my network. Through the network I've been in touch w/ 2 nanny's and I've interviewed one. She seemed very positive and could be a good fit. I interview the second one on Wednesday this week, then I will decide. I plan to start one part time (about 12 hours a week) until I go back to work, then full time. But, I still haven't made up my mind about whether I go back to work full time right away, do part time, reduced schedule, or take another month of two off.  I actually only have 8 weeks left for maternity leave. I am so thankful I have so much time--12 weeks total--. I'll think about it some more.  My worry is the nanny I choose will not want to do part time for that long and I'll have to find someone else.  Cross that bridge when it gets here, I suppose.

Baby is stirring so time to check on her. I am amazed I got this post written w/ her sleeping through.

Lots of changes, but I'm hanging in there and feeling pretty good.

Good News

Since having baby girl (BG) and coming home, things have really gone in a positive direction.  I don't know if it's luck, per se, but I have been blessed w/ a really good, calm baby.

Update on baby girl (BG): She weighed 5lbs 14 oz when born and 17 inches long.  When I brought her home she weighed 5lbs 8 oz. On Tuesday we went to her second Dr. appointment and she is back up to almost 6 lbs--yay! I actually think I can tell because her cheeks are filling out a bit and so are her arms/legs.  This coming Saturday will be two weeks since we've been home. As for feedings: I really would like to nurse her directly, but because we needed to work on gaining weight, I nurse once/twice a day, and give her a bottle the other times.  She also falls asleep when i nurse her, so perhaps lactation consultant in our future.  I am doing a mixture of formula and breast milk which seems to be working pretty well.  She eats every 2-3 hours and I'm trying to get her to nap in her crib rather than mama's arms!

Birth Story: This will have to come later because there are a lot of details. But, suffice to say it came quick, 5 weeks early, broken water at 1:30am, c-section, recovery, NICU for baby, we both came home together after 5 days in hospital.

Me: HORMONES! the first week was really up and down.  I cried a lot.  I cried when thinking about her. I cried when we were getting ready to go home from hospital. I cried once home-- a lot.  Now that I am past 2 weeks of recovery, it is getting much better. I feel much more centered and calm. 
Here is what is amazing: I have actually lost all the baby weight and weigh 2 lbs less than when I first got pregnant!!!!!  All that in just over two weeks!  I asked the Dr. if that was normal/okay and she said yes and I should keep it going.  I have more to lose for my health, so I will stay on this breast feeding 'diet' as long as I can!  you can really tell in my face.....and the swelling in my body is finally going down. I can see my feet again, with no cankles.
The only recovery snafu is that my incision opened up last Thursday (been about a week of healing now). I woke up to blood all over my pajamas--it looked like I had been stabbed. I initially panicked until I realized what had happened.  I have had to irrigate it and pack it w/ gauze 3 times a day.  Been to Dr. twice and she said it looks really good, and I haven't gotten an infection! YAY!  Also, the right side of my incision is really really hard. I asked the Dr. about that and she said it is keloid (scar tissue). Sometimes your body does that when healing. She said I can massage it and hopefully it will soften over time.  It does pull on my insides so I do hope that it gets better over time.

Things w/ baby have been going really well.  Aside from getting up multiple times a night and feeling quite tired in the mornings, I feel like I have adjusted quite well.  I have tried to think through my feelings about being a mother, developing a bond, the change in my life, etc.... and I just don't have the words yet.  Overall it is good, I have no regrets. None.  I know that I love her to pieces....I kind of feel like the more time we spend together and interact, the more we get bonded.  The most coolest, amazing thing did happen in the hospital....she knows me.  When I first was wheeled into the NICU and up to her incubator I started speaking and she literally opened her eyes and turned her head towards me.  It brings me to tears just typing it out now.  It was just an amazing experience.

What I do worry about is getting a lot of things in order like guardianship/my will, part time nanny care, back up emergency care. I want to be sure all of these things are in place for her.  I have struggled w/ figuring out the best environment for her (and hopefully will never have to worry about it) but will figure it out.

Time management has become the most challenging thing.  I try to cram in everything I can while she is sleeping, and sometimes feel like I still don't get much accomplished.  Honestly if I do 1-2 things a day it is a success.  I made a list of things I need to do and that has helped me focus on ticking things off, rather than mentally spinning them around in my mind constantly worrying I need to get them done.

Overall, things have been going quite well and I just keep learning more and more.
Oh, and the best part about this....I do believe she looks much like me! Can't be happier about that.
Also, I can't fail to mention that I have some of the most amazing friends....because she came early my friends got together and fixed up the nursery, got all the supplies I didn't have, and have come to visit and made sure I have support needed.....so blessed.

She's HERE!!!!

I have been MIA because I moved, then 4 days later I had my baby girl (exactly 5 weeks early)!  I was so surprised when my water spontaneously broke last Monday night at 1:30am, then hospital, then C-section (general anesthesia because of blood thinners didn't have time to get out of my system) on August 7th, recovery through Saturday, got home at 9pm.....been home Sat night/Sun/Mon/Tue....first Dr. appointment for baby today now that she is 7 days old.  She first weight 5lbs 14 oz....down some now at 5lbs 8 oz. We are working on that with the feedings.

So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I can't even begin to capture it now.  What I can say is I love this little baby to pieces. I also can say that hormones have gotten me crying a lot.  I'll write more about that later, but I am taking it one day at a time. Trying to keep it all in perspective.....and recover from surgery too.

I'm not sure about sharing her name or photos on here just yet. I know that is what I enjoy about seeing other SMC blogs....so we'll see.