He sure is tired out for a young man! I usually like to take them to PetSmart and let them pick out a toy, but he had a feeling we were going in the car and he wanted no part of it. So instead, he had some good tug of wars with Abby, got extra wet food with his dinner, a stuffed Kong for dessert, and a bunch of grilled chicken as a bonus after-treat. Now they are both passed out and ready for bed. We're just waiting for M to get home from practice.
M seems to be doing well ::knock wood:: but I have outsmarted myself with my constant panic and calls to the doctor, who has now decided that she should stay on this antibiotic for two months instead of two weeks! But not to treat the staph anymore. If I understand him correctly, he is no longer worried about that. This is to treat ACNE! Argh! The only good thing (?) is that at least she will have some extra protection against the staph ... although I thought that was the point of not overusing antibiotics - so they will work when you do need them.
But her face was looking pretty bad and if this helps, well - we'll see. I won't leave her on it for long if I can help it but I'm not inclined to go against his advice either. And that infection seemed pretty stubborn, and I have heard it can take a while to get rid of. The redness was waxing and waning well into the second week of treatment. The spots still have their moments of redness, and occasionally a new one or two will pop up that I don't remember being there in the beginning.
As far as B is concerned, this is not a good semester for him. It's come to the point that I dread logging onto the grade portal but I just can't seem to stop myself. While I suppose it is better this year than last in that he is not failing EVERY single class, I do have serious concerns about his science class this year, and whether it's a reversible trend. And some of the grades are shockingly low, low enough to make you wonder if he falls asleep in class sometimes! What is the alternative? How would he fare at the public school?
And in other news, Kevin is in Sweden for the week. He flew out on Sunday and will return on Thursday. At least we aren't scheduled to get any blizzards this week! And thankfully Abby's recovery is going well and she is now able to go up AND down the stairs to outside. The bad news is, she is also able to go up and down the stairs to upstairs, which she likes to do when nobody is watching her closely. A gate at the bottom of the stairs has proved no match for her galumphy self when she's on a roll! Otherwise, everything is status quo. Next weekend is the state meet and then it won't be long before it's time for Florida. I'm getting anxious about that one already! And after that is summer and after that is ... college! Oh! I can't think about it now. It's too unreal!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
mean people suck
A few weeks ago in church, we saw that they were collecting blankets, coats, etc, for a homeless community in a nearby town. The kids decided that they would do their own little drive in the neighborhood, earn a couple of community service hours, and help out at the same time. So they put flyers in all the mailboxes on our street and the connecting block, about 60 houses or so. About six or eight ended up participating, but they gave a lot. The whole truck was packed, and we dropped them off at the church the following week, to the delight of the recipients.
Today, in the mail, in an unmarked envelope mailed from Trenton, about an hour away, was a copy of the flyer! And on the back was written "IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO PUT THIS IN THE MAILBOX WITHOUT POSTAGE. WOULD YOU WANT A STRANGER IN YOUR MAILBOX?" =:-O !! Mean people suck!!!
As I said, they only put the flyers in our immediate neighborhood. The houses that we walk by, drive by, ride, by anytime we leave the neighborhood. Our names and phone numbers were on the flyer! It was not a solicitation, and nobody was even pressured to participate! It was a simple request.
But, sad to say, the cowardly objector is right. Apparently, it IS against the law to put things in people's mailboxes without stamping them! I guess I didn't realize after the countless geranium sales, pet food drives, and other humanitarian causes that have been promoted through this senseless disregard for the law!! Criminals are everywhere! This person is to be commended for bringing our horrific crime to our attention. I wish they had had the nerve to stand and be recognized.
And people wonder what is wrong with New Jersey.
And in other news, Abby is healing well, she saw the vet the other day and he was pleased with her progress, although it will be another three to five weeks before the bone can be considered healed enough to let her go all out running. She's unaware of this limitation, and frequently has to be stopped mid-gallop as she tears through the house. Wilbur is still unconvinced of her value, and she sometimes paws him a little harder than his fragile self can tolerate, but other times he likes to use her for a punching bag. There has been no more guarding or serious growling in weeks, so that's a good thing.
On the medical front, B passed the neuro test and M continues to battle this nasty staph. It's not infected or contagious, they tell us, but getting back into the pool causes more small spots to break out, which causes me to fly into a panic and send her back to the doctor for another check. She's two weeks into this antibiotic (tomorrow) and he gave her a refill, but I would like her off of it unless (a) she still needs it and (b) it is going to work to keep her on it longer, rather than just allow the bacteria to start growing again once she's off. There are others she can take, but they're apparently harder on the system and he wants to let this one do the trick.
So my parting advice: be nice, because (have I mentioned?) mean people suck.
Today, in the mail, in an unmarked envelope mailed from Trenton, about an hour away, was a copy of the flyer! And on the back was written "IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO PUT THIS IN THE MAILBOX WITHOUT POSTAGE. WOULD YOU WANT A STRANGER IN YOUR MAILBOX?" =:-O !! Mean people suck!!!
As I said, they only put the flyers in our immediate neighborhood. The houses that we walk by, drive by, ride, by anytime we leave the neighborhood. Our names and phone numbers were on the flyer! It was not a solicitation, and nobody was even pressured to participate! It was a simple request.
But, sad to say, the cowardly objector is right. Apparently, it IS against the law to put things in people's mailboxes without stamping them! I guess I didn't realize after the countless geranium sales, pet food drives, and other humanitarian causes that have been promoted through this senseless disregard for the law!! Criminals are everywhere! This person is to be commended for bringing our horrific crime to our attention. I wish they had had the nerve to stand and be recognized.
And people wonder what is wrong with New Jersey.
And in other news, Abby is healing well, she saw the vet the other day and he was pleased with her progress, although it will be another three to five weeks before the bone can be considered healed enough to let her go all out running. She's unaware of this limitation, and frequently has to be stopped mid-gallop as she tears through the house. Wilbur is still unconvinced of her value, and she sometimes paws him a little harder than his fragile self can tolerate, but other times he likes to use her for a punching bag. There has been no more guarding or serious growling in weeks, so that's a good thing.
On the medical front, B passed the neuro test and M continues to battle this nasty staph. It's not infected or contagious, they tell us, but getting back into the pool causes more small spots to break out, which causes me to fly into a panic and send her back to the doctor for another check. She's two weeks into this antibiotic (tomorrow) and he gave her a refill, but I would like her off of it unless (a) she still needs it and (b) it is going to work to keep her on it longer, rather than just allow the bacteria to start growing again once she's off. There are others she can take, but they're apparently harder on the system and he wants to let this one do the trick.
So my parting advice: be nice, because (have I mentioned?) mean people suck.
Monday, February 14, 2011
one of those days
I should have known when I dropped my phone while I was putting it in my pocket. Or really before that, when I went to turn left out of the jughandle and there was a giant flatbed truck hauling concrete taking up the space of four cars, so that we couldn't turn out of the jughandle to get on the road. Or when I thought I had lost the keys to the file cabinets and searched for them four times before I found that they had just fallen into some papers.
But I didn't know. And I guess the day got better. It was a beautiful day outside, not that I spent much time in the outdoors, but it was nice to smell it briefly. I ended up taking M back to the dermatologist to have him recheck her and make sure the rash (now a confirmed staph infection) was responding to the antibiotics. He was happy that it was, he didn't even change her to the other one that had shown up as slightly more effective on the sensitivity testing that they did, and said that he thinks the worst is behind her, (I HOPE SO!!!) and that she is no longer contagious.
But she isn't quite out of the woods yet. She still has a special scrub for the shower, antibiotics for the next week or two, as well as topically and in her nose. It's a whole routine. And tonight, she went back to swimming for the first time so I am not happy! She is due back pretty soon and I'm afraid for the first look. Before she was taking the antibiotics, after swimming they would look angrier and redder, and then in the morning, they'd look pale again. But hopefully they're under control now and that won't happen this time.
As for B, the school is pounding him now. He's passing one class, and it's ENGLISH. Go figure. I don't worry too much about math because I always think he will catch up but he isn't doing well with volume formulas. (A few classes have not posted any grades yet. Maybe this will give me something to talk to the neurologist about when we see him on Thursday. Another thing to dwell on for me! The other classes he's floundering in are history and chemistry, but chemistry is by far the worst, because he took a test he was unprepared to take and the result was disaster. It exhausts me to the point where the public school doesn't seem like a bad option despite my concerns, but he is happy where he is, so we'll see. I worry also because I'm planning to take him to Florida when we go, but I can't do that if all of his grades are 68s and below!
But on other hand, M's report card came yesterday - looking good. She's trying to hold her spot in the rankings for graduation.
And in other news, M and I are supposed to head up to Boston for an overnight this weekend, they're having an Accepted Students Day for the College of Health Sciences and she wants to go. The problem is that she's missed so much swimming already, with the staph, but this has been planned for months So we will play that one by ear. I'm still plodding along at work, antagonized by my boss's new habit of coming back to the office or calling in in the 2:27-2:29 range with a list of items he wants done before I leave for the day, which is supposed to be at 2:30. It's really not funny at all anymore.
But I didn't know. And I guess the day got better. It was a beautiful day outside, not that I spent much time in the outdoors, but it was nice to smell it briefly. I ended up taking M back to the dermatologist to have him recheck her and make sure the rash (now a confirmed staph infection) was responding to the antibiotics. He was happy that it was, he didn't even change her to the other one that had shown up as slightly more effective on the sensitivity testing that they did, and said that he thinks the worst is behind her, (I HOPE SO!!!) and that she is no longer contagious.
But she isn't quite out of the woods yet. She still has a special scrub for the shower, antibiotics for the next week or two, as well as topically and in her nose. It's a whole routine. And tonight, she went back to swimming for the first time so I am not happy! She is due back pretty soon and I'm afraid for the first look. Before she was taking the antibiotics, after swimming they would look angrier and redder, and then in the morning, they'd look pale again. But hopefully they're under control now and that won't happen this time.
As for B, the school is pounding him now. He's passing one class, and it's ENGLISH. Go figure. I don't worry too much about math because I always think he will catch up but he isn't doing well with volume formulas. (A few classes have not posted any grades yet. Maybe this will give me something to talk to the neurologist about when we see him on Thursday. Another thing to dwell on for me! The other classes he's floundering in are history and chemistry, but chemistry is by far the worst, because he took a test he was unprepared to take and the result was disaster. It exhausts me to the point where the public school doesn't seem like a bad option despite my concerns, but he is happy where he is, so we'll see. I worry also because I'm planning to take him to Florida when we go, but I can't do that if all of his grades are 68s and below!
But on other hand, M's report card came yesterday - looking good. She's trying to hold her spot in the rankings for graduation.
And in other news, M and I are supposed to head up to Boston for an overnight this weekend, they're having an Accepted Students Day for the College of Health Sciences and she wants to go. The problem is that she's missed so much swimming already, with the staph, but this has been planned for months So we will play that one by ear. I'm still plodding along at work, antagonized by my boss's new habit of coming back to the office or calling in in the 2:27-2:29 range with a list of items he wants done before I leave for the day, which is supposed to be at 2:30. It's really not funny at all anymore.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
what is going on???
2011 is not a good year! Over the holidays (OK so still 2010 but close to not) our dog died, one of the moms from the team died on Christmas, and one of the dads died shoveling snow. Now we have bad news all over - in our area alone two senior boys have died - one from meningitis and one from a bizarre cardiac event after a short swimming race, a perfectly healthy kid. Today we found out that one of M's former classmates suffered a stroke - a STROKE - a week or so ago. What in the world is happening?
Around here, things are just a little hectic with Abby and her healing leg and the usual nonsense - B with his mysterious virus causing him to miss the first two days back to school after midterms and his now plummeting GPA as a result (or not??) ... the school has been using a grade portal this year and I can see on a daily basis which homeworks are incomplete and which tests he has failed; it's an extreme hazard to my health and his.
Today he told me when he got in the car that he got a 3 out of 3 on his chemistry homework. At parent teacher night, his teacher said that his homeworks are sub par. So I was happy to hear this. I checked the portal and his homework had an incomplete! I just cannot do this !!!
And so M. Her coach decided to change their practice from Sunday morning to Wednesday night. So now she can sleep in one day but she no longer has a weeknight off. And - of course, being Megan - she has a nasty rash of bumps on her legs! They look like maybe a folliculitis type of infection. I'm trying out my arsenal of creams but it isn't looking a whole lot better, although not worse except for some redness in one spot. I called the dermatologist and they told me to call tomorrow morning for a cancellation (hopefully). They're a pain that way. I think if they can't fit us in I'll just stick with the pediatrician. Better than nothing. Oh, and I am sick and tired of her not ever being able to breathe. What is up with that anyway. Add allergist to the list of doctors to take her to before college.
Forgot to mention that the Wednesday night practice is a half an hour drive up the parkway north - she never did that drive before and had to do it for the first time tonight in the dark! At the time of this writing, she is on her way home. Needless to say, this as well is hazardous to my health.
And in other news, my job is the same. My boss is getting busy and wants me to work full time, or at least more hours, but he doesn't want to have to do the same! He likes that I am in early but then when he comes in around 11, he doesn't get started until after lunch and that's when he wants me there for his last minute whims. I can manage most of it pretty well, but I have to admit that some days I feel like I am at the end of a very short rope!
So that's about all for now. Hoping things will start to turn and we'll hear all sorts of good news soon instead of all this gloom!
Around here, things are just a little hectic with Abby and her healing leg and the usual nonsense - B with his mysterious virus causing him to miss the first two days back to school after midterms and his now plummeting GPA as a result (or not??) ... the school has been using a grade portal this year and I can see on a daily basis which homeworks are incomplete and which tests he has failed; it's an extreme hazard to my health and his.
Today he told me when he got in the car that he got a 3 out of 3 on his chemistry homework. At parent teacher night, his teacher said that his homeworks are sub par. So I was happy to hear this. I checked the portal and his homework had an incomplete! I just cannot do this !!!
And so M. Her coach decided to change their practice from Sunday morning to Wednesday night. So now she can sleep in one day but she no longer has a weeknight off. And - of course, being Megan - she has a nasty rash of bumps on her legs! They look like maybe a folliculitis type of infection. I'm trying out my arsenal of creams but it isn't looking a whole lot better, although not worse except for some redness in one spot. I called the dermatologist and they told me to call tomorrow morning for a cancellation (hopefully). They're a pain that way. I think if they can't fit us in I'll just stick with the pediatrician. Better than nothing. Oh, and I am sick and tired of her not ever being able to breathe. What is up with that anyway. Add allergist to the list of doctors to take her to before college.
Forgot to mention that the Wednesday night practice is a half an hour drive up the parkway north - she never did that drive before and had to do it for the first time tonight in the dark! At the time of this writing, she is on her way home. Needless to say, this as well is hazardous to my health.
And in other news, my job is the same. My boss is getting busy and wants me to work full time, or at least more hours, but he doesn't want to have to do the same! He likes that I am in early but then when he comes in around 11, he doesn't get started until after lunch and that's when he wants me there for his last minute whims. I can manage most of it pretty well, but I have to admit that some days I feel like I am at the end of a very short rope!
So that's about all for now. Hoping things will start to turn and we'll hear all sorts of good news soon instead of all this gloom!
Monday, February 7, 2011
the last splash of the season
Hard to believe it, but M's high school swimming career is over! The conference meet yesterday was almost anticlimactic although I still felt nervous for her despite the fact that she was strongly seeded at the top of her two events. As it turned out, she swam a little slower than at the county meet, but well fast enough to win both. Her friend won impressively in her two events, and had to fight off challengers, so that was an exciting twist. It was a strange ending to the whole high school thing, but I guess that just hasn't been as big a part of her world as the club team. Nationals will be the shocker.
B is probably one who is glad to see it over, having been dragged to many a long lasting swim meet throughout his childhood! Of course, he will come to Nationals as well, and he and I will be on the beach or at the bar most of the week, since the bleachers are condemned anyway! That's less than two months away!! Hard to believe.
But she will swim throughout the summer, at least until she leaves for college, and she'll be doing the tournaments at the beach again, and then it will be straight into college swimming. It doesn't end.
Speaking of college, M and I are planning a trip to Boston in two weeks for 'accepted students day,' which is President's weekend. We had planned to all four go, but with the new dog in her state, she can't be left alone or with anyone, so Kevin and B will stay behind with her. I guess we'll be leaving before the sun comes up again, like the last time, in order to get up there by 8:30 or 9.
And in other news, the dogs continue to build their relationship. Today Wilbur got Abby all riled up, they were playing together with a tennis ball, she hits him and he bites her and stands on his two feet so his head will be as high as hers, and she got all excited and tried to jump on the couch !!! I'm terrified she wll wreck her new knee, so I had to lock her in her pen after that. So they played some more, she lying on her side and batting through the cage, and he on the outside bouncing around and biting at her paws. I wished I'd had a video camera! Otherwise, her recovery seems to be going well. It often feels like the only thing holding her back from fun is me! She is raring to go, bounding and running as soon as she thinks she can get away with it. I still say, she has two speeds, OFF and HYPERMODE.
B is probably one who is glad to see it over, having been dragged to many a long lasting swim meet throughout his childhood! Of course, he will come to Nationals as well, and he and I will be on the beach or at the bar most of the week, since the bleachers are condemned anyway! That's less than two months away!! Hard to believe.
But she will swim throughout the summer, at least until she leaves for college, and she'll be doing the tournaments at the beach again, and then it will be straight into college swimming. It doesn't end.
Speaking of college, M and I are planning a trip to Boston in two weeks for 'accepted students day,' which is President's weekend. We had planned to all four go, but with the new dog in her state, she can't be left alone or with anyone, so Kevin and B will stay behind with her. I guess we'll be leaving before the sun comes up again, like the last time, in order to get up there by 8:30 or 9.
And in other news, the dogs continue to build their relationship. Today Wilbur got Abby all riled up, they were playing together with a tennis ball, she hits him and he bites her and stands on his two feet so his head will be as high as hers, and she got all excited and tried to jump on the couch !!! I'm terrified she wll wreck her new knee, so I had to lock her in her pen after that. So they played some more, she lying on her side and batting through the cage, and he on the outside bouncing around and biting at her paws. I wished I'd had a video camera! Otherwise, her recovery seems to be going well. It often feels like the only thing holding her back from fun is me! She is raring to go, bounding and running as soon as she thinks she can get away with it. I still say, she has two speeds, OFF and HYPERMODE.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
on the road to recovery
Pegleg is enjoying her new leg, sometimes more than she should, and it's hard to keep her calm. She peed in the house today, something she hasn't done since she was heavily medicated, but luckily I was able to catch her in the act and get her outside (not in time, but she knew what I was mad about, I think).
We got the news from the vet that the lump on Wilbur's wrist is just a collection of synovial fluid, so some sort of cyst or injury, and nothing to worry about as long as it doesn't bother him.
And B is back to school but not without the ill effects of having missed the first two days of the marking period. They had parent teacher night tonight so we went and hit the three classes he's already dropping in: math, English, and chemistry. Turns out chemistry is the only one to worry about for now - the grammar tests that have dragged him down are soon to be a thing of the past, and his math grade will hopefully be an anomaly (he did poorly on the first quiz, but I don't worry too much because I know that he has the math tutoring and that is really helping him through.)
Well, I just got the notification that the laptop battery is dying so I will be brief! This weekend will be M's final performance representing her high school swim team at the conference meet. The girls are scheduled to swim Sunday afternoon this year. So send positive vibes!
So in other news, we are counting the days until we visit warmer climates (Florida!) in a few months, and also dreaming of crocuses and azaleas and forsythia. Someone on Facebook commented today on how it was 5pm and not dark out yet. Things are happening!! But for now, I am happy to be able to walk on the driveway without worrying about a wipeout :)
We got the news from the vet that the lump on Wilbur's wrist is just a collection of synovial fluid, so some sort of cyst or injury, and nothing to worry about as long as it doesn't bother him.
And B is back to school but not without the ill effects of having missed the first two days of the marking period. They had parent teacher night tonight so we went and hit the three classes he's already dropping in: math, English, and chemistry. Turns out chemistry is the only one to worry about for now - the grammar tests that have dragged him down are soon to be a thing of the past, and his math grade will hopefully be an anomaly (he did poorly on the first quiz, but I don't worry too much because I know that he has the math tutoring and that is really helping him through.)
Well, I just got the notification that the laptop battery is dying so I will be brief! This weekend will be M's final performance representing her high school swim team at the conference meet. The girls are scheduled to swim Sunday afternoon this year. So send positive vibes!
So in other news, we are counting the days until we visit warmer climates (Florida!) in a few months, and also dreaming of crocuses and azaleas and forsythia. Someone on Facebook commented today on how it was 5pm and not dark out yet. Things are happening!! But for now, I am happy to be able to walk on the driveway without worrying about a wipeout :)
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