Sisters

Emma and Izzy. They are living proof that everything is better with a sister.

For instance, sitting around wearing boots is much funnier with a sister.

And it's more effective when there are TWO of you to attack Grandma.
Even going to the bathroom is a delight when you've got your sister (and froggy and perry the Platypus).

It sure is nice to relax in a pile of pillows. But having a sister/ottoman? Now THAT is relaxation. (Pants are also optional)

I think they're texting each other. And I'm pretty sure this is a vision of our future.

When your little sister falls asleep in the car, and by some miracle DOES NOT wake up upon extraction, and mom lays her down on the floor thinking she'll immediately wake up, but again by another miracle, she is still sleeping... well then that's a good time to have a nice fake nap with her! And then 30 seconds later it's totally cool to starting making loud dinosaur noises, and your awesome little sister will wake up smiling, saving you from what was sure to be a very long time out.

And, heaven help mom if she disappears to the bathroom by herself for five minutes. Because sisters are the best at emptying the contents of the pantry all over the living room, kitchen and dining room.

Go ahead and tell me this isn't the cutest thing ever. And then I will PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE.

Lighting isn't good, but do you see the pig tails??

So, to sum up, these sisters are awesome. I spend many days trying not to rip my hair out, but there are also many many many days that I'm just rolling on the floor laughing my butt off. By 40 I fully expect to be bald and buttless.

And, we're back!

Sort of? Maybe? I hate blogging again after such a long break. I feel like I can't just jump into a post, I have to do an update on months worth of activities and goings on. And it's daunting to try and remember it all. Here we go...

Since my last post, my neck has healed and I've got a nice scar, that should fade away to just a small line in another six months or so. I'm feeling much better health wise, and have recently made big changes to my diet, and have started exercising regularly again. I've also got a job at LA Fitness, working front desk and kids club. The perk (in addition to the paycheck) is a free membership to the gym, free access to the kids club, and there's a trainer there who firmly believes that all gym staff should be working out. So he's training me for FREE. Just started working with him last week, and I'm hoping that his knowledge will help me focus my workouts on weight loss. So I'm pretty jazzed right now.

Also, Izzy turned 1, then Emma turned 3. Both festivities were a blast and the girls enjoyed the spoils of the day. Then we had Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, and then New Years and Valentines. So much family, so much fun. All winter we've had mild weather, and in the last two weeks we've had temps near record highs. Which has been AMAZING! My little Izz-bot has had a rough go of teething for the last several months, which caused her to be clingy and miserable. Unfortunately this meant that Emma had to deal with it, too, and often got frustrated and upset with how much time I had to spend holding/calming Izzy down. The cabin fever just added to the misery. But now...this weather has us all shouting hallelujah's! It is glorious to be outside every waking moment. The perfect temps, not too cold, not too hot. Just playing all day. Park hopping all week. The zoo, chocolate world (inside, but still...) picnics, ice cream... perfect, perfect, perfect.

So, let's call that an update, and see if I can keep up this time. Oh, and to my blogrollers, I've been reading, so keep on writing!!

breathing again

So, I used to be a big fan of the sitcom Home Improvement when it was on prime time. There was this one episode where Randy Taylor went in for a visit to the doctor, and suddenly came home with a problem. It was either a goiter, hypothyroidism, or cancer. And boy oh boy, Jill and Tim were prayin' for a goiter. Randy overheard his parents worried whispers, and took off to the arcade to distract himself from the stress.

Well, call me Randy. And I just got home from an 8-month stay at the arcade.

So. 8 months ago I was at the doctors office for a regular check up. Dr. thought my thyroid felt large. Told me it was probably nothing, but she was going to send me for an ultrasound, anyway. Had the ultrasound, and the techs said hey we think there's something there, but its probably nothing. We'll do that again later, anyway, just in case. And then they saw the 3 cm nodule sitting nicely behind my thyroid, and said hey nodules are really common. It's probably nothing but we'll send you to an endocrinologist, anyway. And then the endocrinologist says, 3 cm is about 3x the size of "normal" nodules. It's probably nothing, but we'll do a biopsy anyway. And then the biopsy comes back with atypical cells. And the endocrinologist says, its probably nothing, maybe an error, but we'll do another biopsy anyway. And then the second biopsy comes back the same, and so does the core sample. And the endocrinologist says, hey there's this type of cancer that will cause these biopsy results, because you need to see the WHOLE thing to actually see the cancer. It's probably nothing, but we'll take out half your thyroid, and that growth that's attached to it, anyway.

And after hearing all of this, you really start to think that when it's probably nothing, it's probably something. And you don't know what. And you don't know why. And you don't know if you should be worried, but all of a sudden seemingly small numbers like 15% and 20% (the odds I'd have this cancer) start looking like really big numbers. And you feel kind of silly for worrying when really, odds are in your favor that it's nothing, but you can't shake the feeling that it's something. And you're already a worrier, who can get worked up into a frenzy without having any real, tangible thing to worry about. And then you have this. And you don't want to talk about it or think about it, but when you're alone in the car, or trying to fall asleep after a hard day, all you can think about is, holy crap what if this is cancer? And you just cry and cry with the worry. And you do any and everything you can to try and distract yourself from the worry, but nothing seems to push it out of your mind. Even thyroid cancer, which is one of the least deadly, most successfully treated types of cancer, scares the crap out of me. I could still be sick, and these babies of mine, they need me. And for 8 months I felt like I couldn't breathe.

On Friday, they took out the right lobe of my thyroid, and the nodule attached to it. Preliminary pathology came back benign, but full pathology results weren't done until today. And I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to breathe again. It was benign. Didn't talk terribly in depth (I will on Tuesday at my post-op appt), but the dr basically told me that had this been overlooked and not noticed for another 5, maybe 10 years... this would be cancer.

And it suddenly dawned on me just how lucky I am that my doctor decided to go back and feel my throat a second time, because she thought it felt funny. It was by sheer luck that we were able to find and remove this 3cm piece of funk that had the potential to turn my life upside down, 10 years down the road. It's also given me great perspective, and helped me to know, in the smallest way, what it must be like for people who have real, long term health problems. And it has made me so grateful for what I have. And especially for what I don't have.


(Randy Taylor had hypothyroidism, and had to take thyroid hormone medication daily. I know you were worried about that.)

Alyssa, Just remember...

Note to Self:

Being a mom is way harder than you thought it was going to be. Even with just two kids, there are A LOT of days when you darn near pull your hair out. Emma's quite good at being two, and her dare-devil, defiant independence is the best and worst thing about her. And Izzy is just a sweet little ball of butter who has the misfortune of just about every day being a very bad-no good-down-and-out sort of day, in some way or another. It's not her fault that she's got tummy problems, or that she's having a hard time with teething, or that she's picked up bugs and colds here and there. Wouldn't you cry a lot if every day you felt like crap?

But Alyssa, just remember, that even on a night like tonight, there are sweet moments to savor.

Savor those moments when Emma, who can rarely sit still, wants nothing more than to sit next to you and read book after book after book after book.

Savor those moments during middle of the night potty trips, when she wraps her arms around your neck, and whispers "I love you Zurg." (Because she, of course, is Buzz Lightyear...)

Savor those moments at the park when she wants to hold your hand, as you go down the side-by-side slides together.

Savor those moments when your girls are in the swings next to each other, both of them giggling as you push them along.

Savor those moments when Izzy pulls herself up on your shoulder, and gives you big sloppy kisses.

Savor those moments when she laughs with delight Every. Single. Time. that you pop out from behind the blanket and say "peekaboo!"

Savor those moments when, in the midst of her screaming, she stops and nuzzles into that perfect spot on your neck, and you can feel the soft rhythm of her breathing and she drifts away into sleep.

Savor those moments when you know the only thing that can soothe her is you.

Savor those moments...

All those years you spent wishing to be a mother. You weren't dreaming of the poopy diapers, and the crying, and the boogers, and the tantrums, and the teething, and the shots, and sleepless nights. You were dreaming about all the moments to savor. And they are here. They are happening. Remember them. Love them. And let them get you through these long, long nights. You have so, so much to be grateful for.

Sincerely,
Me.

Things I like:

*When playing with her cars, instead of saying vroom, Emma says "Verm Verm!"

*My ENT finally solved the mystery of my ears. It's an antiobiotic-resistant super bug. And now I've got the right drugs to treat it. Hooah.

*Tonight my mother-in-law was holding Izzy and asked her where her mommy was. She smiled really big, then pointed to me!

*Our sump pump is holding out, and keeping our basement dry. I really, really like this.

*We live pretty much right in between the Swatty in Hershey (down Rt. 39 to the East) and the Susquehanna River downtown (down Rt. 39 to the West). We are so lucky in our location right now.

*My sister Chrysta moved to the DC area, and we've already seen them three times in just over a month. Heading down to see her again next week.

*While we're there, my brother Scott will be at Pax River with his plane (he's a navy pilot) and we'll get a tour!

*When Izzy makes this face, with her little baby dino spikes! And she's rash free!


*When Emma makes this face. It's her "I'm a star" face.

*When my little girls cuddle up to Franklin, our new five foot teddy bear, that daddy brought home.

*I think we've found the true secret to Izzy's hair-do.

Photo Shoot

Ok, so before you go thinking I've jumped on the "update blog format" bandwagon, let me tell ya's something. I have been planning on updating my blog for a while now. I mean, the picture for my header was taken 5.5 years ago on our honeymoon in Hawaii. And the other pictures were of Emma when she was 9 weeks old. So, we're overdue for a change. BUT. I wanted to wait to update my blog until we had our family photos taken! Which happened in July!! Soooooo now I have lovely pics to highlight here. So don't go thinking I stole the idea from you!

ANYWAY. My friend Dani happens to be married to Matt who happens to be an amazing Sports photographer. He's had photos in Sports Illustrated, among other things. Oh, and he also done family portraits now! WOOT WOOT for connections! So Matt did our photos and they are amazing. I was totally nervous, because I thought Izzy was going to be a wreck. The shoot was right smack dab in the middle of when she'd normally be napping. But, surprisingly, she was alllllllll smiiiiiiiiiiles for the entire shoot. Emma, on the other hand... well she was her usual wild self.

At first she was pretending to be shy for Matt. Then she got all weird and actually MADE HERSELF SAD for real. Like, crying, tears-running-down-the-cheeks sad. But Matt wooed her with his camera and some high fives, and then she was down for it. For about 30 minutes. After that she started trying to eat sticks, ran away various times, and nearly jumped into a pond. But I digress.

Moral of the story, Matt (and Dani, who joined us later) were awesome and got some great photos of the family and especially of the girls. They were so lovely, in fact, that afterwards at lunch, Emma asked us why "cousins" Matt and Dani didn't come with us:)

So if you're in the area, and you need photos, Matthew O'Haren Photography is the way to go. Here's a peek at a few of my favorite pictures!!

My favorite family portrait

My three most absolute favorite people in the universe



My lovely ladies and I

Emma, pre-stick eating

My hammy little Izz-bot

Life as Muppets

Recently, I've been reflecting on my family. I have been thinking about the unique characteristics of each of us, and the unique qualities we bring to the family. We are definitely an interesting bunch. And the thought occurred to me that with the whackos we are, everyday life is like an episode of The Muppet Show. Waka waka. So, without further ado, let me introduce my Muppet Family.

Alyssa, as Janice.

Free loving, guitar slingin', leader of the crew. Tries to go with the flow, and keep the people happy. Known to have a fondness for side ponies.

Mike, as Waldorf and Statler.

He's one man providing the crotchetyness of two muppets. Ever the outward grump, full of sarcasm and dry wit. But although he may seem like a grump on the outside, on the inside he's really more like

Fozzie Bear
Just loveable, cuddly, and ever the comedian.

Emma, as Animal.

Self explanatory, but for those who've never met her, I'll explain.

Wild, with a proclivity towards turning every item in a room into a drum. She bounces off walls and shouts at the top of her lungs in a barbaric, primal tone. Looks, and is, a little bit crazy. Ok, a lot crazy.

Isabella, as Beaker.

Known for high pitched, unintelligible mutterings. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she is often luckless and forlorn. But no fear, each day is a new chance to "meep meep" her way to happiness and success. Also, the hair.

And there you have my Muppets.