I feel like something is missing....

Well...the hard part is over. Yay!

I'm not going to sugar coat it. The surgery was difficult and painful. The morphine pump was 67.83% useless.  The expected 2-3 days in the hospital was extended to 5 days because of minor complications.  It sucked.

But as of yesterday, I am home!  I spent the first few days home from the hospital at my parents house because I still couldn't move well, still had 16 metal staples across my gut and was still having issues. After they took out the staples and glued/steri-stripped me up, I could move around better and was ready to move me and Spence back to our own house.  Mom and Dad's house was fine-- but the comforts of home are better.

I have another week of strict bed rest.  Time to heal-- then I can start increasing my activity. And before anyone asks-- yes I am behaving and doing (AND NOT DOING!) everything the doctor says.

Spencer is being great.  He was standoffish the day I came home from the hospital, but now he is back to being my loving, helpful little boy.  He is doing everything he can to help take care of the house, pets and his mommy while I can't lift or bend.  What a sweetie!

Thanks for all the messages, cards, emails, texts, flowers, visits, food, phonecalls-- it is nice to be surrounded by such loving and supportive friends and family.

And now that I actually feel like I have made some progress into "healing", I have some retrospect:

• Hospitals are awful.  You can't sleep.  You can't rest.  They are there for monitoring your vitals and dispensing medications-- sleep is what you do when you get home.
• The "grabby stick" is a life saver!
• I can wear a new name brand outfit fully accessorized and barely anyone notices.  But rock out some heart emblazoned PJs from the clearance rack of Wal-Mart and you get a thousand compliments.  Hmmpf!
• My son colors pictures for me every day to make me feel better.  And they do.
• Will actually ENJOYED hospital food and napping with me. He's so easy going - I love that man.
• I never understood Mom and Dad's bird-watching obsession until I stayed there a few days to convalesce. Every morning I would have coffee by the big bay window in the kitchen and watch all the birds feed in the "bird house village" my Dad created. Sometimes there are 6 or 7 different types of birds eating together.  It was very relaxing.  I even got my camera out for a few shots!

Happy Mommy Day!

Saturday, Spencer and I celebrated Mommy Day.  Since I will be on bed rest for a bit and then have limited activity for a while following my surgery, we dedicated Saturday to doing a day full of things that Spencer wanted to do. 

• We started the day with breakfast at Biscuitville. 
• Then we spent a few hours playing at the Natural Science Center of Greensboro. 
• Then we went to Gymboree and Spencer got some new clothes (which at first he said he wanted to do, then once we got there he quickly wanted to strike this from our Mommy Day agenda!)
• Then we went to Toys R Us for Pokémon cards and a Planet 51 DVD.
• After toy shopping, we went to Olive Garden (his choice) for a late lunch.  He ordered all his favorites plus we had enough leftovers for dinner! And the little goober ordered a takeout bottle of their salad dressing because it is "his new favorite." 
• After eating, we stopped at a petstore and Spencer picked out new doggie toys and treats for Bowser.
• Then we stopped at Krispy Kreme for hot doughnuts.
• Then we stopped at Game Stop and preordered the new Pokémon game.
• Then...finally...back home to pop some popcorn, watch Planet 51, snack on Olive Garden leftovers and snuggle on the couch!

Pretty good day together, dontcha think?

My Silly, Loving Spencer

Part of Spencer's homework tonight required him to write a poem-- so here is his first poem ever---

Seasons by Spencer Alderin

I like the Spring

Because I like to sing

I like the Summer

But the heat is a bummer

I like the Fall

Because my mom takes me to the mall

I like the Winter

Because I don't get splinters.

Where else are you going to rhyme winter and splinters??? My son...the Poet Laureate of Trinity, North Carolina-- haha.

Spencer was being silly tonight and showed off his muscles after his shower-- the kid cracks me up!

And lastly, Spencer gave me a poster he made to hang up in the hospital room after my upcoming surgery. I nearly teared up when he was showing me the flowers and hearts and the extra touches he added. Check out that suh-weet looking purple dress and green shoes I am rocking in the picture he drew---oh yeah, I got it going on!!

He is such a little sweetie-- I am a lucky Mommy!

Little IV is 8!

My nephew, whom I call IVlet Givlet Jackelena Hyena, celebrated his 8th birthday this weekend with a skating party on Sunday evening.

While goofing off in the little arcade, Laura and I found a button that pretty much described us perfectly:

Other than the Voldemort of basketball games (we will not speak of it by name!!!), my weekend was great.  I had a fun stamp class with friends on Friday, a wonderful weekend with Will and IV's little party on Sunday.

A Splash and 65 Candles

Friday night, Laura convinced me to take the boys with her and Emma to the ACC Men's Final Swimming competition in Chapel Hill. We cant pass up a trip to Chapel Hill, right?  So we went...and I didn't understand anything that was going on.  Thankfully Laura could explain everything...and the kids were only a little bit bored but luckily saved by the Nintendo DS.

Following the meet, we went to Ham's on Franklin Street. It was about 9:00 and we were STRONGLY encouraged to leave by the Hostess! We were tired and hungry and requested to be seated.  They said it would be a $10 cover charge each because they were going to have a DJ at 10:00.  Yeah...that went over like a fart in church. So we called over the manager. We got our damn food, didn't pay the cover and then made fun of them for hassling us about the "loud music around the kids" when they were playing 80's hits by Wham and REO Speedwagon. Geez!

Next up, Boppa's 65th birthday party!  The family all met at Outback to celebrate with food, drinks and lots of laughs.  Happy Birthday Boppa!