The Dark Side

I crossed over to the dark side this week. I joined Pin.terest. Addiction doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. And it's true what they say about the dark side. There's cookies.

Reso-what??

I don't do resolutions.

It's just a great way to set myself up for failure! That's not to say I don't buy into the whole new year- new you marketing. I totally do! Yes I will join your gym so I can lose 500 lbs in two weeks and start a new diet to lose 500 more lbs in one day. And I will win the lottery and become debt free all while becoming exceptionally profound and zen like! Hell I spent 45 minutes searching C.raigslist for a treadmill! I guess what it boils down to for me is a starting point to make change.

There are things I would like to do this year. Maybe they will happen, maybe they won't. But I'm going to do my best and that's what matters the most right?

So here's my "To Do" list for 2012:

• make better food choices




• be more active




• start weekly "lesson plans" for Little M (to help with his language development)




• do a 365 project (Well, 366 since it's a leap year)




• organize all my closets




• complete at least 4 or more 5K's




• save up enough PTO to take a couple of REAL vacations this year



• Spend more time with Mr. Temmie. You know like a date night?

That should do it for now. Of course I still need to do all the stuff on the sidebar that I said I would do two years ago. Ah well. It'll get done when it gets done!

2011- a year in review

I decided the best way to catch up is to sum it all up! So here's a month by month re-cap of everything great and not so great in the Temmie household for 2011. Enjoy!

January:

Little M was sick (again) and needed home oxygen. That lasted about a week before he was well enough to ween off. And then things were a little more normal.

January 5th we found out Little M has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. By far one of the hardest days of my life. Everyone always says they want a happy, healthy child. We're no different. And looking back, at least for now, I can say one out of two ain't bad! We have the happiest kid I've ever met. Not a day goes by without his smile lighting up the room about a million times. He also doesn't have any signs or symptoms of the DMD. So for now, we know it's there, but we're happily living in denial!
















Little M also tried really hard to perfect eating solid foods (purees). It's a work in progress.... ;)





February:

ADOPTION DAY!!!! February 17th we went to court and finalized Little M's adoption! He is forever ours and his name was legally changed! BEST.DAY.EVER.

We had a few visitors this month too. Aunt Meg and Miss Miss came for Little M's court hearing. I love watching these two play together!



Jersey turned 1 on February 13th!! Now maybe she'll start to calm down a bit...although I doubt it! And I do feel a little bad. When Harley turned 1 I had a huge birthday party for her with my family. But in my defense, at the time, I was sure we were never going to have kids so Harley WAS my kid. :)


March:

March was pretty quiet around our house. We did set up Little M's high chair and try it out.

April:


Because we love Aunt Meg and Miss (and Uncle Joe too!) so much, we can't let too much time go before we need to see them again. This time it was only fair for us to head to the Pacific Northwest! Little M got his first ride on an airplane! He did so good and actually slept most of the way there. Once we got to Oregon, we all had a great time and we even went to the zoo!

Little M participated in his first 5K this month. Technically I did all the work while he napped! This race was to help another family with their adoption costs. So even though is was cold and snowing, Aunt Liz, Aunt Patti, Uncle Chris and cousins Ellie and Ruby all walked for this good cause. Aunt Liz ran it while the rest of us walked. She finished in about 30 minutes and the rest of us finished in 58 minutes and some change.

We also celebrated Little M's first Easter.

May:


This year I got to celebrate my very first Mother's day. It was a crazy busy day but in the end I was with my guys so nothing could bring me down. I realized though, all these years I spent dreading this day, being bitter, I wasted so much time focusing on the negative when I should have focused more on using this day as an excuse to be with family.

Grandma Florance came to visit from California. She came just for Little M's birthday party and she brought his cousin Mylah too. We were so glad they could be here. Especially me! I wouldn't have been able to pull together the party without Grandma here to help watch Little M while I got things ready! :)

Two days before his first birthday (5/17) Little M cut his first tooth. He had been SUPER drooly for weeks and I was sure it would happen any day. Sure enough as I sat on the couch holding M he chomped down on my finger and I felt something sharp. It was a bottom front tooth and soon after the other bottom front tooth came in.

May 19th, 2011 my little miracle baby turned 1! I can't believe he's one. That year went so fast! And he has grown and developed so much in such a short time. I'm so proud to call myself his mom. He's got big things to do in this world and I can't wait to see what they are!

June:


It's been a few months so Aunt Meg and Miss are back again! This time they're here to have some fun at our Parish's annual fundraiser event.

Part of the event is another 5k. Last year Aunt Meg, Miss and I finished in 61 minutes. This year we did it in 59 minutes and some change. Next year I hope to shave a couple more minutes off that time! And so far that's 2 5k's this year. I'm beginning to like this whole 5K business....

July:

Things were getting too comfortable at our house. Little M got sick (again!) and landed us in the hospital, now affectionately known as Baby Jail. Only problem is now he can sit up and has an opinion. Being stuck in a hospital bed for 4 days is not on his agenda and it was very clear he was getting stir crazy in that room. But because of his diagnosis (rhino virus, a.k.a. THE COMMON COLD!!!) he was on something called droplet precaution. That meant anyone coming into our room had to wear hazmat suits (o.k. just gown, gloves and a mask) and he was not allowed out unless he wore a mask. Riiiiiight. Actually, we were able to distract him long enough to get the mask on and then watch him like a hawk to keep it on, and we went for a walk outside. It did us all some good and the next day he was discharged. Paging Dr. Cutie Patootie, Dr. Cutie Patootie please call the operator. ;)

We also had a scare with Grandpa Steve. While making dinner on 7/3 he passed out. With his medical history (heart transplant recipient) this caused a lot of concern for our family. And it took an act of congress to get him to a doctor to find out what was going on...


August:

One of the things Mr. Temmie and I had always talked about doing but never did, was take a camping trip to Lake Powell. I have gone several times with my sister Liz and her family, but it had been close to 15 years since my last trip. So we packed up a rental truck and headed for the desert! It was HOT. And windy. And other than getting greased up with sunscreen, Little M loved it! He decided on this trip that he was done with baby food purees and was only going to eat solid foods from now on. He tried a little bit of everything (except dairy due to allergies) and loved it all. He also found the lake to be quite refreshing and FUN! Mr. Temmie however, not so much a fan of the desert.

Little M also got to go to his first baseball game this month. He had a great time and he especially loved his Snocone!!

Grandpa Steve really wanted to come camping with us. But because he passed out in July, he had to have several doctor visits and tests so he couldn't come. But we called him everyday to let him know what we were doing and how things were going. That's when we found out that his heart was o.k., but he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer. Liz and I were afraid it was either that or emphysema. Now we knew and just had to wait to see what the plan was.

When we got back from camping, Little M started daycare. I was really nervous about this, but it was time. So we found a woman in our neighborhood that was willing to only charge us for the days we need at a reasonable price. I'm not head over heels in love with her, but Little M is cared for so it will do for now.

And my brother had a massive heart attack. Very scary for him and his family. But they got him to the hospital in time and he had several stints placed to help him recover. Talk about a wake up call!

September:

Happy birthday Mr. Temmie!


Have you noticed someone missing? That's right!!! Aunt Meg and Miss Miss are back! This time it's because Miss Miss turned 2 and we needed to have a party! Complete with a princess castle cake and lot's of family. I don't have any pics of the castle cake because Harley decided to have a sample before the party started. >:( Fortunately I was able to carve off the section she enjoyed and patch things up. But I didn't think it was picture worthy!


We also found out the treatment plan for Dad's cancer. Three rounds of chemo and then surgery if still needed.

October:

Since Meg and Joe were here, we decided to play hookie for the day and head to the Nevada border for some fun. We took my parents and sister Liz and the babies. We booked a room for the afternoon so the babies could have a place to nap and also to have access to the pool. I wish I could say it saved us from losing money at the slot machines but it didn't. Well except for Liz who pegged a machine on the way to dinner, said she was going to play it one pull on the way out, and sure as shit won! Not the jackpot by any means, but enough to make the trip worth it for her.

The next day we found out my uncle's partner, Uncle Joe (not the Oregon Joe!) had passed away. He fought a long, hard battle with cancer. We were all sad to hear the news but also relieved that he was no longer in pain.

And it's been a while since I did one, so it was time for another 5K!! This one was so fun! Since it was October and there's so much talk of a Zombie Apocalypse, why not dress up and run! Or walk in my case. We did have the option to participate as humans and get a 2 minute head start. But where's the fun in that?!?! So Marcus and I donned our Zombie face paint and chased the humans. The whole run was to benefit cancer research and having just lost a loved one to cancer and my dad being diagnosed with lung cancer (he also had prostate cancer and melanoma) I thought it was a fun tribute. Once again Liz was running. This time her family joined in too. Best part of the event? Little M and I got our best time yet...48 minutes and some change. Oh yeah!!!


That evening, still in Zombie attire, we headed over to my sister Patti's house for a joint birthday party for her girls. Ellie is 5 and Ruby turned 1. We had a great time telling everyone about the race. And we even got a few more participants for next year. :)


On October 21st. My dad started chemo therapy. It was a long day of waiting around and being hooked up to an IV. But he got through it and all seemed fine. The next day he was still feeling good and even went to the grocery store. By Sunday 10/23 we was starting to get sick. We were told this was normal and usually the 3rd or 4th days are the worst. Things didn't improve and on Wednesday 10/26 he told my mom to take him to the hospital. He was severely dehydrated and hadn't eaten anything since Sunday night. He also hadn't taken any of his anti-rejection medications since Sunday and things weren't looking good. He was admitted to the hospital to treat the dehydration and we were told he'd be home by the weekend. That evening I headed up to see him after I got off work. While on my way I got a call from my mom telling me they had moved Dad to another room because he spiked a fever. When I got to the hospital I found he hadn't been moved yet, but they were in the process of doing so. They had started an antibiotic and were testing for infection. I decided to stay until he was settled in his new room. Dad was in and out. Mostly sleeping. He did wake up every so often and say "You're still here?" to which I smiled and said yes. He had developed sores in his mouth from the chemo and it was very painful for him to talk or swallow. Once he was moved I found out it was to the Special Care Floor. Not quite an ICU, but close enough. I stayed until he was settled and about to go to sleep for the night. I made sure the nurses all had contact info for my mom and then I let Dad know that Liz would be by in the morning to check on him and to call if he needed anything. He nodded. Then I stopped. We are not overly expressive with feelings and emotions with my parents. I don't know why because we are all sorts of huggy, lovey, whatever with our kids. But this night, I stopped and looked at my sweet daddy and said goodnight and told him I loved him. Three hours later (around midnight) my mom called and told me to get to the hospital. He had taken a turn and they weren't sure how much longer he had. We all gathered in his room. Phone calls were made for Meg and Miss to fly out first thing. Our Parish Priest and long time family friend arrived to give my dad Last Rights. We stayed by his side until 5:00 a.m. Then most of us headed home, showered, changed clothes and headed back. I headed to work to stall until Meg arrived. Then I picked her up at the airport and headed to the hospital. She made it in time. Thank God! And then at 10:27 a.m. on 10/27, My dad, Grandpa Steve died. The official cause of death was Sepsis.


November:

Happy Birthday Temmie.

I spent my birthday at the mortuary making sure my dad looked his best in his coffin. He didn't. But that's because my dad wasn't there, just his body was left. My dad is in heaven. I wish I could bring him back. But I can't. So I have to take comfort knowing that he isn't in pain anymore. He's with his buddy Baxter. And he is at peace.

And just to add more stress to an already stressful time, Little M got sick again. We headed to the ER in the middle of the night and were checked into Baby Jail again the week of Thanksgiving. Diagnosis? Yup! A Cold! Three days of albuterol and oxygen treatments and all was well. During Wednesday morning rounds the attending doc asked how much O2 he was on. When I told him none he said you're discharged! Bless him! Little M was happy too. He made his way to the door, waved goodbye and blew kisses (his newest trick!). Basically he told them not to let the door hit them in the arse on the way out.

Thanksgiving day I needed a stress reliever. Good thing I signed up for a 5K!! I left Little M with Uncle Brian for this race. It was just too cold and with the hospital stay I didn't think it was best to have him go. So I walked it alone while Liz ran it. She did awesome of course. I was worried because I heard this was a tough course. It was. but I just pushed on and finished it in 59 minutes. My goal was under an hour and that's what I did! It was awesome! And then I didn't feel guilty eating all the yummy food for dinner that night! And with this last 5K that makes a grand total of 4 5K's this year. Hoping to do more next year!


And no Thanksgiving is complete without Black Friday Shopping! Although I wasn't too fond of the Midnight start this year. But I scored some fabulous deals and got most of my Christmas shopping done!


December:

December 1st is my dad's birthday. It was a hard day. But in his honor we had pizza and beer for dinner. See my dad and our Priest share a birthday. When we were young, Fr. Dave would come over for pizza and beer and celebrate their birthday. So it only seemed fitting for the day. And Liz made sure Fr. Dave wasn't forgotten by taking him some beer and a gift card for pizza.


I hosted my now annual cookie exchange party. This year we added the twist of having and ugly Christmas sweater contest too. It was nice to hang out with a bunch of family and friends, laughing at our ugly attire and eating some REALLY yummy cookies. And AUNT MEG WAS HERE AGAIN!!!!


Rather than sit around and just chat while Meg, Miss and Joe were here we decided to take advantage of some of the fun things to do in this state. We took a nighttime river cruise to see Christmas lights and went to Afternoon Tea at one of the fancy hotels downtown. We also had a grownups night out to a fun little bar and I learned the hard way to eat dinner BEFORE you go out for drinks! ;)

Two days before Christmas, Marcus weened off of oxygen again! YAHOO! I was so glad he was feeling better. He had been on oxygen since the week of Thanksgiving. He did have a minor set back in December and since we had the O2 we were able to avoid baby jail so that was good. But oh to get those tanks out of our house and not have to monitor his breathing was so nice!


Christmas was strange this year. There were moments of sad mixed in with happy. I like to think it was mostly happy. I have an amazing family. We tend to use humor to get through struggle. It works for us. But someone was definately missing.


Santa came to visit too. Little M made out like a bandit! He is soooo spoiled. And Mr. Temmie and I had the best time doing all the spoiling!


And to finish off the year...Mr. Temmie got the stomach flu. One of these years I will have a date for New Year's Eve that doesn't fall asleep by 9:00 p.m. and maybe, just MAYBE, I'll get a New Year's Kiss!! But I'm not holding my breath. :)


I learned a lot this year. Losing a parent is hard. Family will always be there no matter what. I can be really strong when I need to. I can still function after being awake for 48 hours straight. My son is the light of my world and my husband my rock.


I watched my tiny baby boy evolve from an adorable pile of goo into a thriving toddler. He went from barely supporting his own head to sitting, then rolling and finally crawling and cruzing. He is seconds away from walking. He shouldn't even be alive and he is. I can't wait to see what 2012 will bring!