Getting caught up

Raymey has to take the computer back to real life tomorrow, and I won't be able to use it. I have to catch up on the blog! The Thursday before Thanksgiving I woke up with really sharp pains in my stomach. I couldn't breath very deeply or move without really hurting my stomach. I called my mother-in-law Katie (my personal nurse) and my doctor's office and they both said that I'd better go to the ER because we didn't know what was wrong. I kinda felt goofy going in--the last time I'd been to an ER was when my foot was run over when I was a freshman in high school.
At the ER they gave me an IV of pain med that must have been kinda strong, it was such a relief! Then they did some tests and even an ultrasound to check out my gallbladder. They said that it was probably an ulcer and I had to go to a GI doctor for an endoscopy (Here's my little complaint about the ER. They were supposed to call the doctor and never did. We could have skipped the evaluation and not wasted more time or money, but I guess that is health care for you.) The ER doc said we could still go to New Orleans, so we did! When we got back we had an appointment with the GI doctor and set up the endoscopy (they send a tube down my throat and check out my stomach) for this Thursday so they can be sure that it is just an ulcer, and so they can know what kind it is. It makes sense with all of the stomach pains and problems I've been having lately. It is frustrating that such a little thing is so painful, but I guess it is good it wasn't some organ bursting or something.

You can't always get what you want

My little sister has told me before that someday when she has kids they won't watch annoying videos or listen to annoying songs. I pretty much agreed until the last few months. My mom gave Madeline a Kidsongs mix, and I wonder if it was some sort of sick revenge for years of making her listen to safety kids and other kids' music:) It is one of the most obnoxious CDs I have ever heard. However, when I put it on in the car Madeline instantly stops yelling or whining and she listens intently. As I was cringing to the chipmonk-like voices and REALLY dumb jokes I realized that I could either listen to my music and try to block out Madelines screeching, or I can turn on her music and try to block it out. It is usually easier to block out the goofy singing. Maybe someday they'll invent cars that can block out the noise from the back seats (like a limo window) or maybe they'll just invent quiet toddlers.

Fall

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

This is the most delicious way to eat sweet potatoes. Larry's wife Laura made them for Thanksgiving last year and since we're staying in Tennessee this year I had to ask for the recipe. I did a test run last night to make sure it'd work and they're WONDERFUL!!! I can't believe that there are only 2 Tbsp. of butter in the whole thing. Of course there is half and half and a lot of sugar, but don't you think it is lower calorie than the really buttery ones? (either way, it is so yummy it is worth it!) It was really easy and pretty cheap-I just used canned sweet potatoes instead of fresh and it made it even easier, and didn't change the flavor. I guess I'm done raving about this recipe, but TRY IT!! It is really more like a dessert than a side. Ahhhhhhhhhh, well, now Raymey and I are going to take the kiddo on a walk to burn it off:)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1545713

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

I know I already posted about this site, but you really do have to watch a cartoon Bono, President Bush, the Pope, Oprah, and Tony Blair on stage doing the head and shoulders song. I must admit, I actually like the song! It really cracks us up and Madeline likes it too.
http://www.mothergooserocks.com/animations/head_and_shoulders.html

Mad about Mad'Donna

Madeline is mad about Mad'Donna's "Wheels on the Bus" (cartoon imitation of Madonna). I've been singing the song to her all day and she's been really into it saying "roun roun roun" and "babies, sh sh sh." She's got it a little mixed up, but I love it! Tonight we were hanging out and I was singing that song and all I had to show her was a little yellow bus picture from one of her books. I did a search and found some versions. My favorite was this one, and Madeline must have liked it too because she sat still for about 10 minutes on my lap (which is a record for this little girl!) and we watched it over and over. You know, if you're going to listen to "Wheels on the Bus" this is a version that might not make you so crazy!

http://www.mothergooserocks.com/animations/wheels_on_the_bus.html

You really have to go to "home" on this page and check out the other top 20 songs by made up artists, they are pretty weird and funny. I watched "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" U2 style, Frere Jacque Dave Matthews style, and there are a lot of others. Too Strange!

Under the weather

Yesterday I was quite sick. I couldn't really get up to feed Madeline, so I gave her some teddy grahams and milk for breakfast while I sat on the floor. I kept thinking it would pass, but I kept having sharper pains in my upper stomach. I was really nauseous also, but eating or um, throwing up (sorry that's gross), didn't make it better. My mom finally convinced me to call a friend because Madeline was a little freaked out that I wasn't myself and couldn't take care of her. My sweet friend Tammy came over for 3 hours and brought her son to play with Madeline. She finally convinced me to go to the doctor and she drove me there in the afternoon. From what I told her the doctor said that my stomach problems were likely due to medicine (I started some daily migraine medicine a month ago, and it is great for migraines, but maybe not so good for stomachs) and could have been aggravated by some bug that Raymey and I had on Saturday. They gave me a nausea medicine that helped some and made me sleep. It also let me eat a little, and that helped the pains decrease.
So now I'm not taking anything except my super expensive nausea medicine (that insurance pays for) and heartburn medicine. I've only eaten goldfish crackers, gatorade, bananas (and I don't even like bananas), and bread for the last day and a half. I'm feeling better than yesterday, but still have some burning in my stomach. I'm hoping I'll get back to normal quickly so I can eat something delicious and do Zumba soon! That's my interesting story for the week!