I have had a lot of appointments and scans this week. There was worry the baby wasn’t growing right and then there is the whole anemia thing.

I need to stress that the baby is doing great and ended with a perfect score on his tests. Any worries about it were alleviated by more tests and he is good.  I’m not doing so awesome. My doctor REALLY wanted me admitted. Jon is in Indianapolis on business so I was on my own to make the decision. I agreed. I felt bad enough to check in.  It sucked.

I am a horrible IV stick. Today was no exception and I am covered in bruises from failed attempts. My hemoglobin levels dropped .50 again this week. Everyone assumed I would be kept and transfused.

I was pretty low about it. I have a hard time in hospitals and I was there on my own. The last thing in the world I wanted was to stay overnight but I did want to feel better. So I laid there and listened to Aaron’s heartbeat on the monitor to cheer me up.

The nurse came back with surprising news. They were going to let me go home after my IV fluids were done. I was confused but she explained that even though my levels dropped and are really low, my base line has stayed consistent to where they feel like I’m “holding”.  The baby and I were getting good oxygen and he is doing really well. The doctor didn’t think a transfusion would make me feel much better and would be expensive.

Blood won’t help me.

My nurse was compassionate. “I hate to tell you this, but really…we don’t think you are going to FEEL much better until you deliver. The IV fluid will help some but nothing miraculous. I really wish it were different.”  The IV fluid did help. I took in 3 bags in 4 hours and didnt have to pee at all. (Apparently that is pretty bad.) Bottom line is that I just have to suck it up and rest and drink as much as possible. 

Sure, I wish there was a way to feel better but the baby is great, I now know what to expect for the rest of my pregnancy and I got to come home. Nothing else really matters. 

I’m just grateful to be in my own bed.

(I’m closing the comments here because it’s just an update on how it is going. I know you wish us well, I’m giving you a break from having to keep saying it. Hee. xoxoxo )

Some of you have been helping me with a blog post I hoped would be up by Monday.  It’s pretty much done, but I have to get access to photoshop before I can post it.  I’m working on that.  Just so you know.

Now I’m off with my neice (who is driving) to take my hubs to the Salt Lake airport for a week long business trip to Indianapolis. The timing of this trip could be better considering the tests and possible hospitalization stuff going on this week. (I cop to taking a physical nose dive after my awesome day of good news and bacon. Still, I am NOT complaining. A couple days of feeling great is way better than none.)

At least I’ll get to have lunch with my sister, Linny.  She’s the bomb diggity.

*EDIT: HOLD THE PHONE! More happy news, if you can believe it. (I know, what gets better than bacon for dinner, right?)

Dude!

My life seems to have gone from “craptasticbeyondfreakingbelief” to “maybepossiblyhappilycharmed” in a matter of days. To add to the happy of below? I FOUND MY VOLKSWAGEN KEYS!!!! I have my keychain back and there will be no $300 and towing my car 90 miles to get it replaced! It was in a cranny under the drivers seat of my husband’s car. I found it when I was moving the seat forward after taking him to the airport for his business trip!

AND?

There may, (empahsis on the MAY) be a chance that I can get on group health insurance through our chamber of commerce before this baby comes.  It’s too early to know for certain and I am trying to be cautious in my hope but there would be no words for how much stress this would eliminate. I’ll let you know. Cross your fingers and toes.

Even if the insurance doesn’t come through and my blood levels suck and I end up with my anemic little heiny in the hospital this week, I feel so much happier. I needed this boost of good luck.

##

Have you ever had a charmed day?

One where you think, ‘Wow. It cannot get better than this today?”

I haven’t had one of those in a really, really long time. I think that is fairly obvious from the tone of this blog. Most days I feel like it should be draped in black with a funeral dirge playing on an annoying automatic music player.

BUT!

I had such a great day, I had to tell you about it.

For what ever reason, I had a couple of days strung together where I felt human again. I mean, yeah, I am still hugely pregnant but I felt GOOD.  I had the energy to have lunch with a great friend and get some housework done.

Then, right before he was due home, Jonathan called and told me to get the boys and myself ready to go out to dinner if I felt well enough to go.  I did! For that to happen lately AND having Jon call out of the blue to take me out somewhere is right up there with a loaves and fishes miracle, people. Just so you know.

James was with his dad, so it was just me and Christopher and Jonathan. Since we don’t go out to eat a lot as a family (especially lately) we let Christopher decide where we had dinner.

He picked IHOP.

Um, nothing against IHOP, I like going there for breakfast or late night dinner, but I totally would have selected somewhere else.  On the drive over, Jonathan started talking.

“So, I had this meeting today…”

My stomach started to hurt. Usually when my husband says something like this it includes a decision that has already been made with zero consultation on my part. Like changing his job structure (and thus our insurance) without telling me. So, you can see why this statement made my ulcers start aching.

“What happened?”

“I’m getting a 20-30% raise starting in June. Oh, and we got our tax return today.”

I just sat there blinking with my jaw open trying to absorb the news.

Then I cried.

(I know. I have just made peace with the fact that I am a crier lately. It was really good to have it be in a good way for once.)

This will help out a lot. 

I am a pretty unmaterialistic person.  It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy. A Diet Coke and chocolate will get squees of delight and love from me. Dinner and a movie? Awesome. Just hanging out with friends makes me content.

I don’t spend over $50 without asking Jon. I don’t care what I drive (UNLESSS IT IS A FREAKING STUPID VOLKSWAGEN THAT HAS A SHITTY RECLINING MECHANISM AND COSTS A FORTUNE TO REPLACE A LOST KEY! GRR!)

Though I would love to, we don’t really travel. I don’t get manis or pedis or buy expensive beauty products, clothes or jewelery. I usually window shop but don’t walk out with anything. (Unless I keep thinking about an item. If THAT happens, I go back and purchase whatever it is. I learned my lesson in ‘94 when I passed up a pair of silver and garnet earrings when I was in DC. I still think about the damn things.) Sometimes I will splurge on an item or two, but it’s rare. I don’t have expensive hobbies. Hell, the only real hobby I have PAYS ME.

I have little splurges of shopping but they are short bursts. I’m just not a shopper or real spender. I DO spend money on food and groceries but not really anything else.

Making a lot of money has never been high on my priority list and it’s easy to not have gobs of it where I live.

The thing I can NOT handle?

Poverty. 

Where we can’t meet our obligations. Where things are sent to collections. Or if we can manage to pay everything means that the tiny little comforts that I have in my life are gone. Which is pretty much where we have been at lately as premiums and medical bills have been piling up.

Money never makes anyone truly happy but not having enough of it to fulfill your obligations and meet your basic needs can CRUSH people.

We’ve been on that road.

Until today.

Honestly, it’s not a ton more money a month but it is enough. Enough that I think we can pay my medical bills and live how we did before we were informed my pregnancy wasn’t being covered.

I can have some of the things back that make life a little happier and be able to sleep at night without worry.  The best thing of all? I can stop stressing so much and concentrate better on the happy little wee one that is about to enter our lives.

I think I practically floated into IHOP.  I looked like warmed over ick but didn’t care. I felt better than I have in a long time and I was going to just enjoy it, dammit.

And order bacon.

Seriously, it could not have been a happier day.

Till our waiter, Seth, came up to take our order.

“Hey! You’re Loralee, right?”

“Yes…” I said, stammering and trying to place where I knew him from in my head.

“I’m a BIG fan of your blog!!”

Dude.

I’ve been recognized before for this blog when I’m out and about. Normally, I am torn between being happy and mortified that someone in my real life knows that I blog about my ta-ta’s and depression on the internet. This time, it just seemed like a big wink of happy from the universe and I embraced it.

Also, Seth is a damn good waiter who understands the need to have plentiful drink refills with ones meals.

So, there you go-

A day of energy, outings, lunch, seeing a dear friend, tax returns, raises, getting recognized by Seth the awesome IHOP waiter, AND bacon?

Best day EVER.