Whew!

I have never been so happy to be told to go back to work! Yesterday late afternoon I had an angiogram that was able to isolate the carotid artery where they suspected an abnormality. While I do have an abnormally strutured carotid artery, it is nothing that the doctors feel needs any treatment or further monitoring or anything that should cause me problems in the future. In terms of an explanation for the headache I had on Wednesday, they feel that it was a reaction to medication that constricted the blood vessels in my brain, but did not cause permanent damage. Thank you for your supportive wishes and thoughts!!!

Scary Stuff

I had hoped that by now I would be blogging about how there was no findings in my test results and I went to work today. Unfortunately, that was not to be. After the MRA of my brain yesterday, the radiologist found something in my blood vessels of my brain that concerned him and that he felt required further study. As a result, my doctor sent me to the ER yesterday to be evaluated by a neurologist and neurosurgeon. While they released me rather than admitting me (after I spent 7 hours in the ER), they both agreed that I needed an angiogram to clarify whether the findings from the MRA are something that requires further treatment. An angiogram is a test that requires sending a catheter from a vein in the groin area to explore other areas of the body, namely in my case, the brain. I am scheduled for this test at 3 p.m. today at Somerset Medical Center. Since I have to leave shortly, I figured I would blog first so those of you who read my blog from Wednesday wouldn't panic. I am hopeful that the abnormalities the MRA uncovered are nothing more than some congenital defect that requires no intervention, but I have to say that I am concerned. Hopefully this angiogram will bring answers and will confirm the least problematic possibility. I will blog more when I know more.

HeadACHE!

Snow days are definitely not as exciting when you are sick. Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and went to the doctor after being exhausted for at least a week and suffering from intermittent headaches that made me think I might have a sinus infection. Several blood tests, a urine sample and an x-ray later, the verdict was that I have clogged sinuses (one side is nearly completely clogged). So home I went with an antibiotic, a decongestant and a shot of cortisone in an area I generally reserve for exit only. This morning I woke up still feeling like I had been hit by a bus but hopeful that I was on the mend. And the icing was that I had a snow day and therefore didn't have to take a sick day. And then....the headache from H E double L! Literally the second worst headache I have ever had in my life (first being when my blood pressure was 200 over 104 the day before I had Eva). I was writhing around and crying in pain today and called the doctor to find out if what I was experiencing could be attributed to the clogged sinuses or not. I finally determined that I should take my mom up on her offer to drive me back there to be looked at again. My cousin (whose practice I go to) was thankfully there today and decided it could have been one of a few things. It might have been the shot of cortisone that I developed a reaction to or the combination of that and the Allegra D that I took today or, and hopefully not, it could be something more sinister. So tomorrow I have an appointment for an MRA (a sort of combination between a CAT scan and an MRI) that looks specifically at the blood vessels in my head to ensure that there are no anneurisms or any other scary thing. I am sure it will be fine, but it is better to be safe than sorry. I will update tomorrow when I know more.

Pee Pee in the Pottay!

Cue celebratory conga line - (while chanting) "Pee Pee in the Pottay, Pee Pee in the Pottay!" Whoo hoo! Eva has been wearing underwear since Saturday with very few accidents!! Exciting, but a bit nerve wracking. When she says, "I have to go pee pee," it is generally followed by one or more hustling parents getting the potty seat on and her pants pulled down! She generally can give adequate warning, but we don't like to take chances. And after having cleaned the living room carpet about a dozen times this week between food spills, drink spills - I can drink out of a big girl cup, whoops, maybe not, cat barf and kid pee, I tend to hustle when I hear the words "Pee pee." She is becoming quite the big girl, as she reminds us if we call her baby (or anyone else calls her baby). "I not a baby, I a big girl."

Terrible is Most Definitely Not Descriptive Enough

Why do they call this age the terrible two's? I am thinking horrific, repulsive, repugnant, supremely aggravating or perhaps more specifically, "tantrumrific" (my own invention) are more appropriate adjectives to describe this age or should I say "stage" since it seems like she is on one whenever we go anywhere. Oh yeah, we get stared at a lot lately.

But yet, whenever I tell people that I have a two year-old child they say (while smiling), "Oh, that is the best age." I am starting to think that they have either blocked this age out or that they are being paid by a cult of two year-olds to say that.

Perhaps I am jaded by the fact that we have not gotten through a day in the past week without at least one tantrum. And Eva tantrums the way that Olympic athletes train - for a long friggin time! This morning she had a 40 minute one. Remind me to offer the babysitter a raise!

Better Late than Never!

While I realize that I have not blogged in a ridiculously long time, I figured it is better late than never. So I have many updates to share.

Eva celebrated her 2nd Birthday on September 6th. I was so excited that her birthday actually fell on a Saturday this year so I decided to have a birthday party for her on her true birthday. I decided on a beach ball theme because she was all about the beach this past summer. And then, a bit of a hiccup. (Cue Monsoon weather). Tropical storm whoever bursts in to New Jersey on the same weekend as Eva's beach ball birthday (good alliteration, huh). And do I have a tent rented...um...NO! So I scramble to rent a tent (don't ask me how much more it cost me than the original canopy I had rented. I confirmed the table and chair orders as well and ensured that the tent would not blow away in case the 40 mile per hour winds that were predicted actually occurred! After about fifty conversations with my mother in a 24 hour period, I decided to go ahead with the party on the scheduled date. Bottom line: Two year old children (and their friends) don't mind getting wet - in fact they generally love running around soaking wet! Birthday parties in monsoons are conversation pieces. It should be the new trend! Mental note, though, don't count on weather warnings to dissuade people from coming to your birthday party so you might want to go with the largest tent possible since otherwise you, your guests and the food will be mighty cozy!

So after the Merry Monsoon party in early September, I began a season of frenetic meetings with senior students applying to colleges and a maniacal quest to write 40 letters of recommendation in a several week period. Oh, did I mention that these students were all new to me and I had never met them before? Yeah, that too!

In October I turned thirty (yikes) and celebrated with friends/family at Sun Tavern. It was a fun night (thank you Susan for organizing) but it is hard to believe that I have entered a new decade!

Just before Christmas, Matt turned thirty-two and was rewarded with word from his employer that he is being laid off as of May 1st. Horray for us! NOT.

Christmas was tons of fun this year with Eva loving every moment of it! She helped Nana and Papa decorate the tree. She put out cookies and milk for Santa and his reindeer (after tasting a few of the cookies)! And on Christmas Day she opened tons of presents - wanting to stop to play with each of them along the way. I found myself asking, "Who in the world designed these packages and why is it necessary for a package with a baby doll and various baby accoutrements to have better security than the Pentagon?" Seriously, I really don't get it!

New Years was celebrated with a bang (the sound of my head hitting the bed at 10:30 p.m.) - I have truly entered a whole new level of pathetic.

Presently we are focusing on job searching (for Matt), preschool open houses (for Eva) and a countdown to the next school break (for me). So now you are all caught up on the exciting adventures of the Cahill family. Stay tuned and I will try to post some pictures to go along with the stories above!

Who Thought Rain Could be So Fun?

Today it rained woofs and meows and I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with Eva all day. Luckily it stopped long enough for us to take a bike ride. But otherwise there was not a lot that could be done outside. So we played with chalk in the breezeway for awhile until it really started pouring and we had to move in further so we wouldn't get wet. Then I decided we could watch the rain and talk about the "boom booms" in the sky. I have never seen a kid have so much fun running around and trying to get wet and then running back in and saying "boom boom sky" when the thunder would sound in the distance. Too funny!

Her Father's Daughter

Two fisting it!

R.I.P. Nuk

Ding dong the nuk is dead! Eva has been chewing on her nuk (pacifier) for the past few weeks to the point that they are getting holes and I have to keep throwing them away. Finally, thanks in part to an e-mail from my best friend suggesting ways to get rid of the pacifier, I decided that it was time for nuk to go. So when Eva chewed a hole in her nuk this time I cut the rest of it off with a scissor to finish it off. She kept saying, "Nuk brope." Yes, nuk broke. So then I gave her options about what to do with it. After asking my parents and I to fix it about 1000 times she finally took the end I cut off and threw it in the trash. Then she kept trying to suck the end with the plastic ring but it was too short and kept falling out of her mouth. I told her that nuk could not be fixed and asked her if we should bury it and have a special ceremony to say goodbye. "Yuh." So outside we went to bury nuk in the dirt near the side of the house. First she seemed ok, but then she had a full on freak out tantrum next to the house. Tonight should be interesting but we are hoping for sleep!

New Moan Ya

And the hits just keep on coming. This morning Eva wasn't really acting herself. She and I drove up to PA yesterday afternoon and had a busy day at the market and at the beach. But this morning she was super lethargic and seemed a bit warm. By mid-afternoon she was REALLY warm and I decided to call a friend (thanks Mandy) and get info for a local doctor. So I took Eva to Urgent Care in Jim Thorpe. They were really good with her and did blood work and a chest X-ray because she actually had a 104.1 degree fever! And the verdict - PNEUMONIA! Great! So three hours, a stronger antibiotic, and what will no doubt add up to a hefty bill later we were on our way to pick up the new prescription at CVS. Poor Eva she is super sick and I feel terrible. So I am off to bed to rest up for what may be a tough night!

We're Back from the ATL

For our loyal readers who were wondering where we have been, then answer is - Atlanta! My friend Susan was married this past weekend in Hotlanta and I was the Matron of Honor and Eva was the Flower Girl. And we are not without some stories!

We arrived on Wednesday after an uneventful plane flight (with extra room so Eva was able to fly in her carseat). Ok, well other than the nasty dude sitting in front of us who kept making air noises every time that Eva got cranky (she needed a nap so she was a bit out of sorts until she fell asleep and he needed to let out a great big sigh each time she made any noises!) it was uneventful! We got the rental car - a black Dodge Caravan - this thing seriously rocked. Automatic everything and a DVD player - I was like, can I take this thing home?!

Our hotel, the Courtyard Marriot in Roswell seemed nice from the pictures and when we got there I thought, oh wow, this place is really nice. We had decided to book a suite for Matt and Eva and I to give us a place to hang out when she was napping and then got the adjoining room for my parents. They had a crib (we will get to that) and we had asked for that in the room. Plus we had a small fridge and a microwave which was perfect (and a huge TV and internet service, so Matt was very happy). Once we got there and checked in and got to our room I promptly found a cockroach in our bathroom, which I immediately squashed. See evidence:

Then my father found dirty black thong underwear stuck between the doors of the adjoining rooms. So just as we were beginning to feel as if we were staying in the Ritz Carlton (NOT) we discover there is no crib. Ok, so my mom calls the front desk and asks that they have the crib brought up to the room. About 15 minutes later this man shows up with a tiny pack and play. Yeah, I have an almost two-year-old child and we are staying for 5 nights. And your website says "crib". That is not an f-ing crib. It is like sleeping in a small tent over a rock. So we decided to call around and find out if you can rent a crib since the Marriot seems to think our standards are beyond them and refused to help us find one. So we called a service named "Babies Away" that rents equipment for babies who are traveling away from home. Later that night it was off to Susan's parents' home for dinner. After we got home, my father showed his strength by pulling the door knob completely off the door!

Unfortunately, we didn't hear back from Sue on Wednesday so we decided to see how it went that night. NOT WELL! After a relatively sleepless night for Matt, Eva and myself we called Sue from Babies Away again on Thursday. Luckily we heard back from her and she delivered and set up the crib on Thursday while we were enjoying a pre-wedding get-together at Susan and Murry's place. Speaking of this get-together, we had an interesting tour around Atlanta as our GPS couldn't find its you-know-what with both hands and had us in the Atlanta ghetto! Thank god for Murry and his friend Chris who got us out of the ghetto and over to Susan and Murry's lovely townhome - which was all the more lovely after what we had seen!

Oh yes, back to the wedding. So Susan married this guy named Murry (well, his name is sort of Murry). It is Murry to his friends and to Susan and her friends and family and Ryan to his family and close family friends. Why you may ask? Because his name is Murry Ryan and his parents had called him Ryan from birth. His friends renamed him Murry after they found out his real first name (sort of as a joke at first but then it stuck)! So that was a slightly confusing issue!

To backtrack a bit, we met up with Jim, a friend of Susan's from Dublin, Ireland and spent a great deal of quality time with him the whole weekend. He was great with Eva! She really enjoyed her "Uncle Jim!!" Jim was lucky enough to be with us in the family truckster when we took the tour of Atlanta! He was nice enough to continue to hang out with us despite the ghetto tour! Here is Eva with Grandma and "Uncle Jim" at the hotel pool!

Friday was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. My parents were nice enough to bring Eva to the rehearsal so she could practice being a flower girl but then take her home since the dinner was late and she would not have gotten enough sleep. The dinner was a Louisiana style cajun meal that was supposed to be on this outdoor patio at Murry's family's favorite restaurant, however, the weather was iffy so they moved it to the clubhouse at their housing complex that is at least covered on top. It was fun but they don't call it Hotlanta for nothing! Tara (Susan's bridesmaid) and I were able to ensure that no one else at the rehearsal dinner was bitten by any mosquitos as we took many for the team!

Saturday, the day of the wedding went relatively smoothly. I did Susan's hair for the wedding (tradition!) and it actually came out quite nice if I do say so myself. My hair was another story, but whatever it was her wedding!! There was a slight disaster with the flowers as they froze the night before and all had to be replaced! Yikes, mother of the bride to the rescue! Eva picked her first day ever to not take a nap so I was terrified that she would freak out during the ceremony. But she was actually quite good even though she wanted to wander around the church and to my horror did spend a few seconds hopping up and down on the place Susan and Murry were supposed to kneel on during the communion portion of the service! If I ever figure out how to add videos to this blog I will post a bit of video from the wedding. Eva was able to party with the rest of us until relatively late into the evening at the reception. My parents were again nice enough to bring her home so that Matt and I could spend some quality adult time at the reception.

On Sunday it was off to breakfast at Susan's parents' home. We were able to see some of the pictures from the wedding (thanks Joanna) and talk about the week's festivities. It was so nice to have the quality time to spend with Susan and Murry and Susan's family and friends. We really enjoyed all of our visiting time.

On Monday we were off to the airport relatively early (with "Uncle Jim" getting up early to give us an Irish send off!). We got to the airport with relative ease but then we were stuck waiting for a wheelchair for my mom (back issues - long story) and finally made it to the gate with seconds - literally - to spare! I had to pee on the plane because there was no time. So this flight - not as successful as the last one! The flight was FULL FULL FULL - no empty seats. Which meant Eva - who had woken up at 4:30 in the morning (don't even ask) and had taken no nap was a LAP CHILD! AAAH! She was actually better than I thought she would be since she was able to lap hop between Dada, Mama and Papa (my mom was across the aisle). We got to the airport in Newark and I was exhausted and ready to get our bags and go home. I had this gnawing concern about my luggage, though. Apparently my concern was not misplaced as we got all the bags but one - my suitcase! No where to be found!! Oh yes, they lost my bag and I had to file a claim and wait for them to call and tell me they found it. "Sorry Ma'am, we don't know if it ever got on the plane or if it is still in Atlanta or went elsewhere in error." SUPER! Luckily they found it and delivered it to me late that night (after I was asleep, I might add - but thankfully my family was awake to get it off the front porch!).

In addition to my lost luggage, Eva was complaining that her ear hurt so off to the doctor we went and found out that she had an ear infection. The fun never stops!

It Only Takes a Pillow - Problem Solved

No, I didn't suffocate her with it to get her to sleep - I used it as a transitional object. She is really obsessed with this cute little fleece pillow that I use on her changing table so tonight I suggested that she could bring it with her to bed IF she did not scream and cry and get upset and just went to sleep. She said, "Yuh" so I thought - score! And believe it or not, tonight it worked! Bribery with a pillow - nice work Mommy!

The Girl Who Cried Poop

Recently, every time I try to put Eva down to go to sleep - whether it is a nap or to bed at night - she begins to scream. When I leave the room she cries, "Mama" over and over again. I don't usually go back in unless I think she dropped her Nuk or her froggy on the floor. The only other time I go in is when she says, "Mama poop" since then I know she has gone poop in her diaper and needs to be changed. Well today she decided to say it when there was no poop. So dutifully in I go to change her poopy diaper. Guess what? No poop. So then she tells me she has to "Go potty." Yipee I am thinking - this potty training thing is really going well. So we go out of her bedroom and go sit on the potty. "Bup" she says. Ok, so I give her a book to read while she is on the potty. And then she sits. And sits. And gets up and tells me to leave - so I go. And then I hear her running around. WHAT!? She is supposed to be napping NOT running around the house with no pants on!!! Now I am pissed. I feel so used! So I put her diaper on and put her back to bed. She starts screaming again. Groundhog moment. Then she starts saying, "Mama poop." Nah, not falling for it this time. She is the little girl who cried poop!

Seriously, My Mom Has the Smallest Head!

So, my Mom found her beach hat that she has been looking for and it is in bad shape. Too much time spent in a closet with mildew issues (we have since fixed that issue) so she was lamenting that she needs to look for a new hat. I told her I had the solution for her since there was a hat that we had for Eva that I thought might work great. Ok, so I was kidding - but it just about fit my Mom's head!!

I Caught a Fish and It was This Big!

So Matt and I took Eva fishing on the speed boat this morning as a break from all of the work we have been doing around the house (and to give Papa and Mom Mom a chance to sleep!). She had a blast. Matt caught two fish and she was so fascinated by them! She kept watching him throw out the lure and saying "Where'd go?" Repeatedly about a hundred times even though we kept explaining that it was underwater and Daddy was trying to catch a fish. But "Where'd go?" Whatever - we all had fun.

And we saw a Blue Heron which was a nice treat (I like birds that are pretty as long as they are from a distance!)

I am actually not so big on fishing, though. I always feel bad that Matt is hurting these poor things for fun and then just throwing them back. But then I am glad he throws them back and I don't have to meet the fish I eat!!

Steven Seagull

Ok, anyone who is reading this blog probably knows me well enough to know that I am not so much into birds. Ok, actually they terrify me. So the other day we are sitting out on the deck at the lake house and enjoying the peacefulness and watching the lake go by and all of a sudden I see this bird take off from the forsythia (sp?) bush nearby and start flying directly toward my face. He has this look on his face like he is on a mission and he is flying directly towards me! So, I do what any normal person would do - I scream and duck! So my Mom starts laughing at me and saying - what is wrong with you it is just a bird. To which I replied that he was "Charles Bronson bird" - meaning he had a death wish. But then I realized that he was the aggressOR so I decided to rename him Steven Segal - except since he is a bird he is Steven Seagull. (Yes, I am aware that it is a bit crazy to fear creatures that much smaller than me, but that is why they call it a phobia! And yes I also know all about exposure therapy and the like, but I am perfectly happy being terrified of birds!)

Eva the Little Mermaid

Eva is becoming quite the swimmer! She is working on floating - she can do on her tummy really well and she is learning to keep her legs down and butt up when she floats on her back! Everyone is amazed at how well she has taken to the water. I keep hoping she will develop a bit of healthy fear so she doesn't drown or scare the you-know-what out of me, but at least she likes the water! Here are some pics of my fish!!

It's My Tantrum And I'll Cry If I Want To!

Today we went to the Farmer's Market in Hometown (about 10 minutes from our lake house). This market has everything from vegetables to faux designer purses to chicken to candy - basically everything! I kept telling Eva about how fun it would be to go to the market. So she was excited to go (I think) - hard to tell w/ a toddler. But this morning she would not put on her shirt. She kept running away and saying "I'll help" which actually sounds like "Aul hulp." So I let her "hulp" but she wanted to put it on sideways and bass ackwards so I told her that she had to let me help her get her shirt on or we were not going to the market. She refused. And refused again. To the point that I was about to stay home until she finally seemed to get the idea of "I'm sorry" which sounds like "Sharry" and "Please go" which sounds like "Cheese go." So she said the magic words of "Sharry" and "Cheese" and we were off to the market! Once there she actually seemed to enjoy riding around in the stroller and watching all of the people shop. There are some interesting folks at this market so she had a lot to watch! Then it was time to eat a late breakfast and she wigged out in the middle of this little area where they serve breakfast and have booths and tables. She flipped out because I wanted to fold up her stroller and put it across the room so that we could sit in the booth. Here is the kid that NEVER wants to sit still to eat and she wanted to ride in her stroller strapped in rather than sitting like a big girl in the booth. So she threw a tantrum. Screaming, crying, shoving her fingers in her nose and her mouth until she gagged and then screaming some more. People were stopping to look at her. So finally my pride got the best of me and I took her outside "owshide" for a time out. She continued to flip out for another 5 minutes or so which allowed my parents to order our breakfast. When we went back in she said she was ready to "eeet" and be good so we went about sitting in the booth. She proceeded to squeeze a styrofoam cup of water all over the table and herself (that was fun) and then she sat down to play with the drops of water that I hadn't cleaned up yet since apparently napkins are a luxury around there. Then it was time to eat breakfast. She had about 5 bites of sausage and then decided she was done and we should be done as well. Since none of us were done she proceeded to stand in front of the booth and look at her stroller which was about 5-10 feet away and tucked behind a table for safekeeping and SCREAM her bloody head off. Yeah, it was tantrum time again. So out of the booth I came and "owshide" we went to have another tantrum.

Luckily when we got home from the market (which was not much later I might add) she took a 3 hour nap. Aah, blissful quiet!! So we cleaned out our storage room (how peaceful - NOT). But at least we got a good start on that room.

Tonight she threw a fit when it was time to go to bed. No idea why, just pitched a complete fit. Luckily this time there was no audience!! So it is 5 minutes to 10 p.m. and I feel like it is 2 a.m. My day warranted a sundae so I went to Redners (our local market) to buy supplies. Everyone had one (except for my sleeping tantrumer of course)!! Tomorrow should be a great beach day because it is supposed to be beautiful. Hopefully we will be back to "Yea beach" tomorrow!

Yea Beach!

Today we spent most of the day at the beach. As Eva said about 100 times, "Yea beach!"




She loved carrying the noodles down to the beach (I mean the float type not the spaghetti kind).

Eva is becoming quite the swimmer. However, as my mother has said, "She is the most oral child I have ever seen." She swims, she drinks the water, she swims, she licks the water. GROSS! I keep trying to show her how much stuff floats in a lake. There are fish, there is grass, there are bugs (there is likely bug crap as well but I can't say crap so I mention that fish and bugs go poo)! And still she drinks the damn water - actually I suppose I should say that she drinks the dam water (since it isn't really a lake it is a dam)! Not sure if fish poo is harmful but I hope not!! I even brought juice boxes to the beach (they are not good ways to drink at home since sometimes she squeezes them)! And still we drink the dam water!!!

Eva was watching the other kids swimming very intently and got braver and braver as she watched the older kids in the water. So many of the kids up here are so good with her. If she starts to get upset and seems like she is having trouble swimming where she wants to go, they lead her back to shore. They play with her in the sand. So cute!

I Love it When They Call Me Big "Pa Pa"

Eva has taken to calling my father "Pa Pa". And not just once or twice a day but every second. "Hi Pa Pa." "Pa Pa help." "Hi Pa Pa." "No Pa Pa help." "Pa Pa come." "Pa Pa come play." "Hi Pa Pa." AAAH! I don't think my father knows what to do with being so adored. Seriously, Eva is obsessed with him. No one else can help her get dressed. She wants no one else to give her a new diaper. Just "Pa Pa." My poor mother- I hope she doesn't feel slighted!!