We're still here & fine

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Just wanted to do a brief post to let y'all know we're still here & still fine. I REALLY think Baby will be here in less than a week though... time will tell if I'm right. Thankfully, we've done ok so far this weekend with Mr. Kluges far away in the TC. He should be heading for home pretty soon, so that'll be good.

(Big THANKS to those who showed up to help with the yardwork at our house. I know Mr. Kluges said both sets of grandparents were wonderful help and that NoNickTodd was a masterful shoveller as well. Thanks, too, to anybody else who showed up to help yesterday or today that I don't know about - we appreciate it!)

Ok, Pumpkin's napping, so I'm going to go have a lie-down myself. Gotta store up some sleep, you know?!?

Right, so.... hmmm...

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Right, so, I had an appointment today. Everything looks fine, blood pressure's good, weight's fine, tests came back ok, yadda, yadda, yadda...I'm dilated to 2 and starting to thin.

Yeah.... uh.... so....

Right.

Ok.


Suppose I better finish packing my bag.


And I'm thinking that I wouldn't be taking any bets on actually making it all the way to my May 14th due date. (And probably not the 15th, which is Grampa Jem's b-day, even though he was hoping. *grin*)

And this'll be Mr. Kluges's last weekend trip to the TC until baby gets here... and he's going to have his phone with him at all times.

So I'm going to try not to freak out too much about not feeling ready. I mean, we've got some baby clothes, diapers, a car seat, and a pack-n-play, so we're pretty ok with all that.

Oh yeah... still gotta get down to a short list of names... better get crackin' on that, I'd say...

So, if you want to leave any suggestions, feel free. We still like the boy name we had left over from when Pumpkin was born, but we're struggling with cute, distinctive-but-not-weird, individual enough to not be "FirstName LastInitial" all through the school years girl names.

Ok, going to check out a last couple of blogs and then read to keep my mind from hitting the worry track all night. Wish us luck and a baby who is content to wait a little while longer, ok?

This weekend plus pinky update II

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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This post is primarily for those who know us in real life. Mr. Kluges is heading back to the TC this weekend and will be doing some outside work on the house on Saturday and about half of Sunday. If anybody wants to come on over and see him (and maybe lend a hand while you're there *grin*), that'd be great. Our cell phone number is still the same as last time we were here, but if you don't know it, you can email us. We're sorry we didn't see anybody except Jaysan & Ang when we were there two weeks ago, but it was just too crazy.

FYI, there's also an outside possibility that he'd be coming with a U-haul to load up our bed, couch, etc. if we do find an unfurnished three-bedroom yet this week, but that's an unknown right now.

Pumpkin and I will NOT be doing the 5-6 hour drive this time around. I'd be too uncomfortable, it's not like she thinks it's great fun, and my helpfulness is pretty much nil once we're there 'cuz I can't really lift anything plus I need to keep track of the very active 2 year old. However, I'll be thinking fondly of y'all!


In further finger news, Pumpkin's appointment went well today. She was very distressed when they were taking off the bandage, due, I'm sure, to the memory of the pain from when they put it on, but they said it looked good. Nice pink tip and all. It looks rather ugly still, but way better than I thought it might. Now it just has a regular old bandaid on it, so it attracts a lot less attention, which is nice from my "I know accidents happen, but I still feel way guilty" viewpoint. We have to soak it in a peroxide/water mixture 3-4 times a day for the next two weeks, when we have another visit. Pumpkin's fine with that...but does not like having the bandaid taken off. Like, based on the two times I've done it today, it's practically a pin-her-down manuever. So I'm hoping that gets easier and less stressful for her with repetition.

Also, hoping that we'll still be just-the-three-of-us when we get to her appointment 'cuz it's starting to get close to that magic due date... and we're SOOOOOOO not ready...

Pinky Update

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Just a quick post to let you all know that Pumpkin is doing fine. She's been great taking her antibiotics, which is nice 'cuz she has to take them 4 times a day. Man, am I glad I got her medicine flavored at the pharmacy! She also apparently has a high pain tolerance, because she has only been given 4 doses total of any pain relievers. It just doesn't seem to bother her much. That or they have some kind of super anti-bonk device hidden under the bandage. Seriously - we gave her the tylenol with codeine for the first night for fear of the numbness wearing off and then her (and us) having no sleep the second half of the night, but it was no big deal. Since then we've given her children's advil for the second night (she slept wonderfully) and then today before heading out to look at open houses. She will be careful with her pinky, and tells us it's owie sometimes, but seems to be in great form overall.

I'm hoping that things will go smoothly at the doctor's office on Tuesday 'cuz she doesn't like her bandage touched much, but I have to say that she's (and therefore we're) doing much better than I'd have thought on Friday afternoon!!

P.S. She's quite enamored with her wrist tags from the hospital and won't let us remove her "bracelets." So she really looks like we JUST came from the ER wherever we go...

I could have skipped this milestone.

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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So you know when you're a parent that your kid is going to have lots of milestones. Good ones like first tooth, starting to crawl, walking, talking, etc.


And then there are the bad ones like your first trip to the ER.



Yeah, that was today. Not sure how much detail I'm going to go into 'cuz I'm afraid I'll start crying, but Pumpkin's ok. I'm still rather shaken, but she's been a real trooper.

(Also, grandparents, that's why you're finding out about it by reading it here - I knew if I called I'd lose it.)

We were going to go swimming in the apartment complex pool. Walked over like always, went in, and for some reason, Pumpkin turned around as the door was closing and...tried to catch the door? wanted to go back out to where the video games were? I don't know. I just know she was suddenly crying at the door and I took the couple of steps back and opened it and THEN she was able to take her hand back out. Of the hinge side. Blood everywhere, so I grabbed her, bundled a towel over/around it, sat down to comfort her and snuck a peek.

It looked bad. Not going to get too graphic, but I knew it was an ER trip immediately... maybe not by ambulance, but a right now sort of deal. I called Mr. Kluges and he headed straight over, then I called 911 'cuz I was starting to freak out and wanted to see what they had to say about a pinky tip that looked that bad. They said they'd send an ambulance if we wanted one, but I knew it wouldn't take Mr. Kluges long to get there and then we could go in together.

So I carried Pumpkin back to our apartment to meet Mr. Kluges and to get her special blanket 'cuz I knew we'd want that for comfort. Distraction in the form of blanket, tv, and a popsicle helped until he got there a few minutes later, then we hopped in the car and headed to the ER.

They were good there. I was so glad this happened in the US & not in Ireland. We were seen right away, they took x-rays of her hand to make sure the bone wasn't affected, then the ER doc said he wanted to call in a hand surgeon for a consult/to fix it. Problem was the hand surgeon wasn't available for about another hour and a half 'cuz he was in surgery right then. (But, hey, at least they told us that straight out and right away.) So we waited... and the hand surgeon actually did show up right when we were told he would. (Also, they were GREAT with checking in to make sure we were ok, they had a tv/vcr with Dora and Blue's Clues, also some toys... Pumpkin was great, but the distractions REALLY helped. Also the special blanket and cuddling with Mommy or Daddy the whole time.)

They sent us out to the waiting room while they actually worked on her finger, which was stressful, but definitely for the best 'cuz it would have been worse to be in there and hear her being so distressed (they numbed her finger, but she knew it hurt/was hurt, so she was distressed whenever anybody wanted to see and/or touch it) and not to be able to do anything about it.

When we got to go back in, she was still a little distressed, but everything was done and she was bandaged up. It didn't take her long to calm back down, then we finally got to go home. (Well, via the pharmacy, where we picked up our prescribed antibiotics and tylenol with codeine to be used as needed.)

We go back to the hand surgeon on Tuesday morning. Until then it's keep it clean and dry, keep the bandage on, and manage the pain. She was in good form this evening, but the numbing is supposed to last 10-12 hours, so I'm sure that's part of it. Here's hoping for a good night's sleep for her (and us) 'cuz we're all just wrecked from the whole experience.

Well, those look... interesting

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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Doing some catching up blog reading and came across this Easter-related post on Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen. (And no, I don't remember how I came to be reading their site fairly regularly, but it's got some fun stuff for non-apartment dwellers, too)

Tea Eggs

I would totally make these for a Halloween party, but they'd have to be called Rotten Dodo Bird Eggs or Giant Spider Eggs or something else suitable.

P.S. Happy National Garlic Day, too, I guess.

Might have to subscribe

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Picked up the local paper today in order to look for short-term, 3-bedroom rentals available 5/1 (hard to find, btw). But I might have to become a regular subscriber based on these gems I found in the "Local & State" section...

"It's a good bill. It's a Wisconsin bill. It's a beer bill," said state Rep. Scott Newcomer, R-Hartland, one of the measure's main sponsors.

Yeah! A good, Wisconsin beer bill! Now if they could only have rolled in some sort of good cheese subsidy... (That was from an article titled, "Lawmakers OK free beer samples.")


And from "The Police Blotter..."

Town of Menasha - April 7
Disturbance: A woman living on Woodrow Court reported that her roommate was throwing all her belongings outside and another woman was pouring ketchup on them.

You gotta love local papers! They have the most entertaining news.

No, amber is the color of MY energy!

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
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So Pusher posted this quiz at her site, so I thought I'd play, too...

...except I didn't peek at her answers, I swear!

you are lightcyan #E0FFFF

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

More mutterings...

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

I have reached the rather uncomfortable stage of pregnancy.

The one where I look (and often feel) like I've swallowed a large beach ball. I managed to cut my own toenails again today, but it may be for the last time. (Ok, I know that's maybe more about my personal hygiene than you wanted to know, but it's symptomatic of the problem.) My cute tightish boots can't zip all the way up over my apparently ballooning calves. (Calves? I always thought the problem was supposed to be swelling ankles, you know?!?!) My skin is itchy from pregnancy stretching, indoor heat, and the crazy cold weather we've been having. And it turns out that Tums does not work as well as Gaviscon for heartburn.

But on the plus side, we got in to see a doctor today for a check-up, and things look fine, and all that (insurance, doctor, hospital, etc.) is shaping up to be much easier to sort out and take care of than it looked like at first. (Knock on wood)

And... (I know this is of even less general interest than the pregnancy-centric previous paragraphs, but thrilling for us...) Pumpkin went poopy on the potty tonight! She was in her bath and said, "That's just a fart." I said, from the other room, "Do you need to sit on the potty?" and she said, "Yes." So Mr. Kluges swooped her out, balanced her tiny tushie on the big potty, and lo, and behold, there was Business. Hooray! (Both for the pooping on the potty, and also for the no "swimmers" in the bathtub!)

So that's what's up with us. Off to the TC this weekend to check out the house, make a to-do list to get it on the market, maybe do some yard work, and pick up a few things from the basement storage, so probably no posts until maybe Monday. Cheers!

We're not in Blarney anymore, Toto...

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Some cultural repatriation I've experienced in the past 10 days...

• Marveled at the size of refrigerators
• Enjoyed Wheat Thins, hash browns, and the shrivelly Cheetos that turn your fingers orange
• Marveled at the size of cars
• Stepped on a scale in pounds for the first time in my pregnancy. Yeah, I know it's all convertible and my weight isn't really any different, but the number is just so much SMALLER in stones or even kilos!!!
• Driven on the right side of the road again
  
• Marveled at the size and width of the roads!
• Been reimpressed by the hugeness of the United States. We could have driven the length of Ireland when all we did was go from the middle of one state to the middle of the next one over.

and finally...

• Gone to Target... twice! YAY!!!!
  

Mary P's Book Binge

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

I'm crazy busy, but reading is such a stress-reliever for me that it's not getting dropped even (especially?) during busy-ness.

And if I can do this, you can, too!

We made it!

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copyright 2007 by Ms. Huis Herself
Please read this at musenmutter.blogspot.com
because that is the REAL site. Thank you!
****************

Well, we made it.

Had a few travel related hassles, got to deal with security and passport and customs more than we'd like, enjoyed a grand total of a 1/2 hour or 45 minute nap from Pumpkin during the approximately 9 hours we were on our first plane, were delayed several hours in Chicago, got sent around to three different gates there (Oh, my poor pregnant lady feet! How I waddled!), but eventually we made it back home.

And so did all our bags! Amazing, I know.

I even got more than 5 hours of sleep last night, which was a first since our return. It was LATE (11pm DST) before our flight hit the ground here, so we'd been awake about 24 hours before getting to hit the hay on Sunday night, but Pumpkin slept (not necessarily comfortably, but slept) from 7pm on in her carseat/stroller combo, so she was ready to wake up by 6am. Then yesterday she woke up at 3:30 am, hungry, and decided that it was time to stay up. ARGH! Mommy was a little wiped that day.

But last night was better, and she's napping now, and I already did, so I'm enjoying a moment of quiet to at least post. Probably won't get to many of your sites 'cuz I should wake her up soon in order to get her to sleep decently tonight, but still, I can let you know I'm alive.

And I got Wheat Thins today. Yay!