Saturday, January 16, 2016

Shiteaters of the World!



Well, maybe I just don't write very much in this thing anymore.  So much has been happening, it's a little overwhelming.

First off, Jeannie was diagnosed with thyroid cancer sometime -- October?  November?  Don't quite remember when.  It was the day that I wrote about in here as 'not the best day ever'.  And the first doctor that we saw was pretty terrible and pretty much just said, "You have cancer, it'll be OK, go see a surgeon."  So we were freaked out for a few days, then went to see the surgeon (same guy who did Jeannie's throat surgery back when we first got married -- awesome, awesome person) who spent an hour with us explaining things, explaining that it's super treatable, and that if you're gonna have cancer it's a good kind of cancer to have, and that it shouldn't affect her life expectancy.  So, all the good news that the first doctor could have told us but didn't.  So we've been less freaked out since then.  Surgery is scheduled (with a different surgeon - long story) for January 26th.  So we're just kinda anxious for it to be over and then get on with whatever sort of long-term treatment happens for somebody without a thyroid.

Then we had a big, long trip to St. Louis over Christmas which was actually pretty awesome.  We got to see nearly everybody we wanted to see (holla to the Schluetermetz' and E. Elz and Uncle Rico!) and got to spend quality time with each of our families, and the kiddos got to play with their cousins and cuddle with their grandparents.  And we stayed a few days at a particular house and then moved to a different house -- so right around the time when we got tired of being in a place (and the place, and its inhabitant(s), got tired of us being there) it was time to move.  Which worked out well, for the most part.  The kids' schedules got all fucked up, and everybody ate a lot of crap, and Anna got feverish for a couple of days, but all-in-all it was a success.  And damn if our kids aren't really good in the car on long car trips.

Work is rolling along, being all worky, but not especially stressful right now.  I'm trying to get everything in place early to prepare for being off after Jeannie's surgery.  Her mom will also be coming out for a week or so, which will be helpful.

Anna is turning into a toddler quickly -- she doesn't crawl yet but does scoot around on her ass.  She seems totally ready to walk and loves to stand up while holding onto things.  She also seems totally ready to talk.   Sleep can still be challenging but at this point I think that Jeannie and I are just used to not sleeping, so whatever.

Samuel is maybe, just maybe, maybe (I don't want to jinx anything here) starting to come out of the terrible two/three's thing and starting to move towards four.  Although he is, still, definitely terrible at times.  But for the most part very sweet and a good kid.  He got some legos for Christmas which have been a bit life-changing.  We've got this little table set up in our living room that is his "work table," and he now will spend an hour or so each night working on shit at his work table, and if you tell him to come put on his PJ's or brush his teeth or something, he will tell you, "I can't right now, I'm working on something."   But he's pretty danged good with the legos, building helicopters and planes and trucks of his own design.  It's fun to watch.

My current crusade is to rid our home of shit we don't use.  And try to keep things from getting cluttered.  My current New Year's resolution is to "admit no worry into this mind."  Another resolution I thought about adopting was to always have enough change in my pocket that I could give every homeless person downtown who asked me for money at least a quarter, but that resolution was never passed.

I had a dream last night that Jeannie and Samuel and I were renting apartment, and I took a standing shit of rabbit turds all over the floor.  And then gave Jeannie an "Oops, my bad," sort of shrug.

Also, I should add that Anna is not eating shit in that picture at the top.  Black beans and lettuce.