the flood of '06

This is a picture of what used to be our local pool. See the yellow slides behind the park benches? Those used to enter into the pool. Now they enter into the river.

This summer is not turning out to be as expected. And just as my foot is getting better--better enough that (dare I say it?) I might be able to enter water before the summer is out.

Of course, it probably won't be chlorinated water, at least that of the local pool.

But the foot is better. And I've updated my foot bite pictures for those of you who are into that sort of thing. It really is amazing how quickly the wound has healed.

applause

baby-j started clapping his hands together over a month ago now, but in the last few weeks, he's stopped. The applause returned yesterday. His latest game is nursing for a few seconds, then bolting upright and clapping his hands... then nursing again for a few seconds, then bolting upright and clapping his hands again. And on and on... What does it mean? "Yea, boobies?" :)

foot boot and go-carts

Just returned from the Wound Center--the wound is healing very very well. It's hard to believe the difference in just a week. Now I basically only have a bite mark and the remnants of a big blister to take care of. Whoo-hoo!

And they gave me a cool surgical boot to wear, so I don't have to wander the streets (ok, the grocery store) wearing an old flowered slipper on my left foot. Actually, I've been using the motorized carts the last few times at the grocery store, following P and baby-j around the store. It looks pretty cool, let me tell you. P has been good about humoring this and will sometimes give me errands to "run" in my cart (i.e., "Why don't you get some toothpaste and catch up with us?"). Hmmm. Now that I think about it, is it that he's trying to make me feel useful, or is he just embarassed to be seen with a strange woman--who has nothing in her cart--following six inches behind him all around the store?

backyard garden

pardeepants, what does your garden* grow?

ivy patch
azalea
bee balm
hosta
lilac
baby's breath
vine
rose bush
lady's mantle
coneflower
japanese strife
rose bush
rose of sharon
lemon balm

Note: As I cannot garden to save my life (at least yet), all credit for the current state of the garden has to go to my MIL and FIL. :)

bite pictures

Ok, so here goes--some pictures from my brown recluse spider bite, tracking the progress of said bite from June 16 to June 24.

Warning: these are not for the faint-of-heart. Or anyone in the midst of eating.

Click here for photos of my (nasty) foot bite.

up and up

Feeling much much better today... the wound is even starting to itch, so I'm taking that as a sign of healing. This is a very good thing, as I had expected to be healing for a few months, and the faster my foot heals, the more likely I'll be able to play with baby-j in the water by the end of the summer.

Speaking of baby-j, he's been standing much more consistently on his own--for a few seconds here and there--without support from furniture. Yesterday, I saw him stretch forward for one little step before immediately falling on his butt. Good thing he has so much "padding" there. :) And those thighs...!

So I'm testing out my new Photobucket account here:

baby-j is up to something
baby-j will attack you

ailments

I am so grateful that my in-laws are here; they've been doing amazing work in our backyard the last few days. Yesterday, their presence was a blessing as well since P. and I were at the Wound Center and then the dermatologist all morning--as well as a good part of the afternoon--and they were able to look after baby-j.

The Wound Center was wonderful, though there was a moment yesterday when I thought I'd have to stop breastfeeding due to the topical antibiotic I was prescribed for the bite. However, after checking it out with the pediatrician, I can take the medication--cautiously, of course. There's now also a nasty water blister above the bite, and it turns out that many of the pustules (I know, it's disgusting) around the wound are probably poison ivy. Said pustules are also on my right arm, right leg and ankle, and now my stomach and some of my chest. The dermatologist prescribed a steroid cream for that--also safe for breastfeeding, according to his instructions, but again with caution.

This morning I still feel terrible, but at least I know we've amped up the treatment. P. found some spots on baby-j that we think may be poison ivy, though on the phone the pediatrician says it's unlikely... but to contact her if it gets worse.

Can this situation get any worse? I didn't think so a few days ago, but now I'm not so confident.

the brown recluse

Ok, so since my last post I've been to the ER again and in a few minutes will head out to see the doctor.

It wasn't a tick bite. It was a spider bite. A brown recluse spider. No, we didn't see it, but my bite looks like the ones you can find on the Web under such a search, and the nurse and doctor at the ER took one look and diagnosed it as such. I've been taking pictures which I may or may not post here, since they're pretty nasty. And to top it all off, the "poison ivy" has been getting worse, so now I'm headed in to see if it's connected to the bite and I need a new brand of antibiotic.

Double ugh.

tick bites

An interesting morning... Upon finding out that my family doctor is out of town, I went to the local hospital to have them check out my left foot, which, since Sunday, has had a nasty, growing insect bite that has the potential to be a tick bite. We're not sure if it is or not, though they've diagnosed me as having a tick bite and I'm on antibiotics for two weeks to prevent lyme disease. I'm also developing rashes on my arm and--oddly enough--my forehead. And I'm getting sick. Lyme disease, or just a spider bite, poison ivy, and a cold all hitting me at the same time? Who knows?

Ugh.

breastfeed or else

A link to yesterday's New York Times article about the new campaign for breastfeeding:

Breastfeed or Else

As often happens with NY Times articles that I miss, P. informed me about this one. It's pretty good and pretty balanced about BFing, though I do hate that the mothers interviewed are the extreme--the mom who basically gives up her life in order to breastfeed her kids on one hand, and the mom who feels guilty about "not producing enough milk" (whether or not this is actually the case is not clear... actually seems like she had a misinformed pediatrician in the article). Anyway, it brought up conversation for us (for us new parents, serious conversation is now limited to whispers in the dark so that the babe doesn't wake up). :)

baby-j and I went to an LLL meeting this morning, so that is, I'm sure, why a lot of this is on my mind.

renovation

And we thought we were the only ones doing work... this week Lafayette started renovations on their football field:

http://goleopards.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/012406aad.html

There are many contractors in the area, so I guess we thought the first loud sounds we started hearing this week were coming from one of the houses in the neighborhood, but... nope. If I look out my window now, I see a whole lotta dirt-digging going on, and a whole lotta dirt. Where there was once a wall, there is now some action. This neighborhood isn't exactly quiet, but this is a bit much. Is this how such resentment between a college and its nearby residents begins?

babyurn

Play, anyone?

You gotta wonder what kind of parents stick their baby in an urn to take pictures. I feel part guilt, part glee, part Anne Geddes.

the chocolate factory

Almost there... P is in the city now for what will be the last performance of his show. I saw it last night and it was fabulous. My hubby knows him some Beckett. Although it was the piece with which I was previously least familiar, I really enjoyed Play. It's just so intense, pointing out (imho) those things that we obsess over in life, and how, ultimately, they're just not that important. Soon we'll be in urns...

And it helped that we had to stand through the thing in a basement where the rain was pounding in on the windows. It was great. My mouth was open almost the whole time.

My hubby rocks.