Our Birth Story (One Year Later)

This is a long, wordy post but I want to get it typed out for posterity before I forget even more than I already have in the year since it happened!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One year ago today (a Tuesday) I was 31+ weeks pregnant. I was extremely uncomfortable, having a strong, squeezing pain around my chest/ribs. I had been experiencing the same pains over the weekend and was unable to get comfortable, or sleep.  Late Sunday and Monday I felt better, totally fine actually.  So when the pains returned on Tuesday I finally gave in and called my doctor.  I though maybe it was heartburn?  I've never had it, and know it's a common pregnancy complaint.  I was hoping she'd confirm that and tell me to take some antacids.  Instead she suggested I go to the hospital, just to get monitored and make sure everything was OK, and it wasn't pre-term labor or anything along those lines.  I'd been visiting the hospital (and the doctor) quite often. (I had horrible carpal tunnel syndrome, gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure.)  On top of all that my baby was measuring small so we were checking in on him with weekly ultrasounds.  My doctor suspected my placenta was not doing it's job as well as it should be.  The baby was regularly measuring in the bottom 10th percentile for size/weight.

So...I texted my boyfriend that I was going to get evaluated.  He asked me if I wanted him to come home and/or go with me and I declined, thinking I'd be home in a few hours. I didn't have a bag packed, I didn't have a birth plan, I didn't have a replacement at work trained.... Heck, we didn't even have a name chosen!

When I got to the hospital I checked in and got hooked up to the baby monitoring devices.  They drew my blood and I got out my Kindle to try to distract myself.  I was still pretty uncomfortable and hoping they would give me some suggestions (or maybe some medication) to help with the pain. The monitors kept alarming due to my blood pressure.  I wasn't too concerned since it always seemed worse when I went to the doctor (white coat syndrome!). Within an hour a nurse came in with some test results.  To my surprise (understatement of the year) she told me our baby would need to come out soon, within the next couple of days probably.  I had just had blood and urine tests done the week before and my OB didn't see anything alarming.  Over the weekend (apparently) I had developed pre-eclampsia with HELLP syndrome.  A lot of details get confused at this point, I honestly think I was in shock from that point on.  I do remember my platelet count was really low.  I think regular levels are over 100,000 and I was at 40,000 at that time.

I called my boyfriend and he was as shocked as I had been.  He headed down to be with me in the hospital, as I wasn't going to be released...until we had a baby!  The nurses explained that they'd give me another blood test in a few hours to determine how long we had until the c-section needed to be performed.  They were hoping to give me a round of steroid shots, to encourage the baby's lungs to develop more. They gave me one shot and I could have had another in 12 hours.  It turns out we didn't have that long, though. I was put on a magnesium drip to discourage a stroke (!!).

I called my Mom, who was in Yellowstone for the summer.  I told her the baby was going to be delivered very soon.  She told me she was leaving right then! (She drove straight through, arriving in San Diego around 5pm the next day.)  I also called my boss, letting her know the situation.  

My boyfriend showed up pretty quickly and we both kind of sat in stunned silence.  It was probably around 9:00pm by this time.  Luckily my Mom had thought to call my brother (who is a doctor and lives in Los Angeles).  He called me to say he was on his way down.  He showed up a couple of hours later, and I am so thankful he did.  He was calm, supportive, and understood all the medical lingo that was being thrown around.  (Later I found out that he knew how dangerous the situation was, and scared the crap out of my Mom when she called to tell him!)

Around midnight they did another blood draw, which would give us more of a time frame. They said it would take a couple of hours since the lab was busy, and nothing had come back by 2:00am.  At this point I sent my boyfriend home to sleep.  There was nowhere for him to lay down in my room and he and my brother were taking turns between sitting in the (uncomfortable) chair and on the floor. I slept for a bit but there was a constant stream of nurses checking on me so it wasn't very restful.  Of course, not long after he left they came back with my test results, which didn't look good. My platelet levels were even lower, around 25,000 and I was told they were scheduling me for 6:00am surgery.  I cried.  I was nervous, worried, and really just still in a state of shock.  There wouldn't be time for another steroid shot. Looking back on it now, I should have been more worried about the baby, but for some reason I wasn't.  I could feel him moving, hear his heartbeat on the monitor, and I guess I just had confidence in the doctors/hospital that things would be OK. (Or...I was just in shock!)

I called my boyfriend who wasn't really getting any sleep and told him to come back by about 5:30am so he could be with me.  I slept a bit, talked to my brother, tried to call my mother-in-law (who didn't have her phone nearby and didn't get my messages until the morning!) and just tried to get comfortable.  My doctor showed up sometime early in the morning, and we had a consult with the anesthesiologist.  He told me that if my platelets were too low I would have to be completely knocked out for the surgery, and nobody would be allowed in the OR with me.  Luckily that didn't turn out to be the case.  I tried to argue for my brother being allowed in the OR as well (since he IS a doctor and all, even though he is actually a psychiatrist!  haha) but only my boyfriend would be allowed. My doctor was wonderful, as always, and said she had been keeping such a close eye on me, because she just had a feeling something like this would happen!  Looking back on that I was amazed and thankful and... I just love her.

Fast forward to 6:00am.  My boyfriend had arrived and we were still waiting in the same room I had been in all night.  Finally, closer to 7:00am, they started prepping me for surgery.  We went into the OR, my boyfriend was left outside to change into scrubs, and my drugs were administered for the surgery.  I was given a shot in my back to make me numb from the waist down, but still awake (not sure what that kind of anesthesia is called...and don't remember now as I am sure they told me at the time).  There were probably 6 people in the OR (besides us).  I recognized my doctor (duh) and another doctor who had filled in for her earlier in my pregnancy when my doctor was on vacation.  There were also quite a few nurses and the head neonatologist for the hospital, who we would come to know VERY well and love.

I don't remember much about the surgery.  The anesthesiologist kept chatting with us, and I tried to listen to the doctors/nurses but don't remember any of it in detail.  My OB let us know when she was going to take the baby out and then (at 7:42am)...he was there.  He was there in the room with us and he cried, and I said "Oh my god!" and cried and my boyfriend cried and we all cried.  They took him over to the scale and put him under the heat lamp.  He was 2lbs 12oz.  Small even for his gestational size, I realized after the fact.  My boyfriend cut the cord, they wrapped him up and we got one quick pic before he had to be taken away to the NICU (or Special Care Nursery as it was called at our hospital) to be given some care of his own, while I was sewn (stapled!) back together.

Oh, hello there, baby!

While I was in the recovery room my mother-in-law arrived, and my brother was there.  Once the feeling started coming back to my legs I got moved into a regular L&D room.  My Dad, step-mom, younger brother and step-dad arrived throughout the afternoon. My mom arrived in the early evening.  The neonatologist came by a few times to let us know how the baby was doing and get us to sign some release forms in case various treatments (or a possible hospital transfer) were necessary.  

I got to go see him a few hours after the birth and he was so tiny and hooked up to a million wires, it was a bit overwhelming.  But I never worried.  I had heard him cry at birth and just knew things would work out OK in the end.  I took everyone in to see him 2 at a time (max visitors in the SCN) and eventually everyone went to their hotels and my boyfriend and I stayed the night in the hospital room, which I had to myself and had 2 beds.  

That is a preemie diaper he's wearing!

Our little guy was one tough cookie.  He was extremely tiny and his lungs needed a little help at first, but overall he just needed to GROW!  He had a few surfactant treatments to help his lungs not stick together when he took deep breaths.  He was on (minimal) oxygen on and off for the first few days. I was finally able to hold him (a bit of an ordeal with having to get all the wires untangled and free to move) on the 3rd day.   That was a wonderful feeling.  :-)   

First time holding him. 

Every time I wanted to go visit him I had to call a nurse (or nursing assistant) to wheel me from my room to the SCN. I went basically any time I wasn't sleeping or eating or being checked on by nurses.  I sat for hours looking at him, touching him, talking to him.  

Staring contest with Mama.  I could never look away.

 My doctor kept me in the hospital for 5 days, since she knew we wouldn't be taking the baby home yet.  Leaving him there to go home (the first time and every night for those few weeks) was heartbreaking, but I got used to it eventually.  I spent the next 6 weeks going back and forth to the hospital twice a day.  I would go in the morning whenever I got up (after pumping, eating, dressing), and stay until early afternoon.  Then I would go home, pump more, rest, eat dinner, and go back until around 11:00pm or midnight.   

A few more pics of our time in the hospital...

Socks on his hand to prevent him pulling on his feeding tube.

Skin to skin with Daddy.

He loved getting on that scale every night!  (I thought he was SO BIG at this point, 3lbs 7oz! haha)

He gained, on average, an ounce a day. 

We finally brought our baby boy home on July 2nd, 

and he was a whopping 5lbs 4oz by then.  :-)  

The day we brought him home!

Those days at the hospital seem very surreal now.  But we loved the nurses and the doctors were amazing.   It's a time I will never forget but sure hope to never have to experience again!  I do regret not having a "normal" pregnancy sometimes.  I never got a huge bump.  (I only gained 14 lbs in fact.) I never felt a contraction.  When we recently visited babies R Us (for baby gates!) I got a little sad seeing the "expectant mom" parking, never got to use that!  Like my blogging friend Kelli said, though, I take some comfort in knowing that there wasn't anything I did (or didn't do) to cause his early arrival.  It was just my body reacting (negatively) to the pregnancy. (Her whole guest post reflecting on the preemie experience is written much better than I could express things! And her birth story here and here.) I thought about not having a great bond with him due to all the crazy circumstances, but I don't believe that has been an issue. I spent a ton of time (hours and hours) holding/talking to/singing to him in the SCN.  I just tried to focus on the positive throughout the whole experience and not let anything get me down.  I think that was the best thing for me and for the baby.  I rejoiced at each milestone he conquered (moving to an open crib, having his feeding tube removed, etc) and tried not to think about other things I missed (like being able to breastfeed right away). 

Home with (exhausted) Mama. 

Now we have been parents to this beautiful boy for almost a year and I can't believe how much he has changed our lives.  I'm looking forward to everything that will come in the future, but looking back on the past year with mixed emotions.  

Oh, and we did finally choose a name (3 days into his life).  

We love it, and him, so much. 

4/52 Sunshiney Day

 

Last week was our little guy's 8 month birthday.  It's seriously amazing how the time flies.  
He seems to be THISCLOSE to crawling, which is both exciting and scary!  
He's a champion eater.
He sleeps great sometimes and not so great other times.  
He delights us with his smiles and personality every single day.
We love him to the moon and back.

A picture of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014 

Hanging outside in his Go-Pod while Daddy mowed the lawn last weekend.  
It's been gorgeous weather here and it was a really nice day to be out in the fresh air, and he loves spending time with Daddy.  
(Yep, we're still rocking some Christmas clothing. 
It just seems silly to put it away after one wear if it still fits!) 

Some of my favorites from last weeks pics:
Roman's wispy hair and smile remind me of my baby.
Evita has got to be the coolest toddler around with her skateboard.
TOI's extremely new family of four is adorable.

Inspired by Jodi, just click the lovely button to join in the fun.

Throwback Thursday - Disney Style!

(Throwback Thursday is a way to document pre-blogging life.)

These e-cards basically tell my Disney story...

1) I think there might be something wrong with a person if they hate DIsney.

2) I'd prefer to be at Disney rather than work, any day.

3) I don't even know any Nickelodeon stuff. 

4) And yes, I do love Disney as much as (if not more than) your average child. 

So what?  

**********************************

I've taken so many trips to Disneyland, I honestly can't even begin to count them. 

It's one of the advantages of living in So Cal.  

Almost every time we had out of state visitors when I was a kid, particularly my mom's side of the family, that's where we went.  The happiest place on earth!  

It's a family thing.  

Anyhow, here are some pics from before my blogging days, of various trips to both DisneyLAND and DisneyWORLD over the years.    

(Prepare for a photo overload!! It wasn't easy to cut any out! )

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This one is a classic.  Splash mountain splash camera!  

This is from 2003.  

My little brother in the front, he's 21 now.  ;-) 

This was a trip I took about 5 years ago (with my mom & 2 aunts) when my cousin was doing an internship at WDW.  See that Mt. Everest in the background?  That's where she worked while she was there.  The best roller coaster in all of the parks!

On the left of this collage is the 5 of us (plus a totally awesome and willing participant riding next to my mom) sleeping on Expedition Everest after our 12th time riding it that day.  hehehe   

Then us getting ready to ride it AGAIN! and me with my "baby" cousin. 

More of us on that particular trip.... group shots in front of Disney landmarks.

 An earlier DisneyWorld trip with just one aunt...lots of ME at Epcot!  :-)  (I LOVE Epcot.)

This is from a trip when my aunt was in SoCal visiting.  We like visors. 

Same trip, in front of the Haunted Mansion.  YIKES!  ;-)

Do you guys remember that year when Disney was letting everyone visit the parks FREE on their birthday?  Well, I took full advantage.   I forced convinced my MIL to go on her birthday (in January) and we had a BLAST!  She is not a big Disney fan but it was a really fun day, and I think I swayed her toward the Disney point of view.

I also talked my Dad into coming down from San Francisco so we could go on HIS birthday (in March).  This was a really fun trip, too.  I got him a birthday pin so every park employee wished him a happy day, and he was so genuinely happy and thankful, it was adorable.  (Still in my visor stage.)

And...a few other randoms that make me smile.  

We never get tired of the "no dancing" signs on the rides. ;-)

OK, I better stop with FB/MySpace reminiscing before you all fall asleep.  ;-)  

DISNEY!  I love it!  That is all.  :-) 

(If any of you are ever in SoCal and going to Disneyland, I'm a great tour guide! haha)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Sometime in the not too far future, I am hoping to turn Throwback Thursdays into a link up, with the lovely ERICA of Mi Todo.  She is in the process of moving to another country right now (!!) so it might be a few weeks more before we get anything figured out.  

But, if you're interested, leave a comment so I can try to remember to let you know once I know more.

Weekend Coming Soon....

Hey guys... 

and welcome to new people from Mish and Kelly!

I had a weekend review planned but before I could get to it last night one of our dogs got himself hurt and I spent the time I was going to blog at the Animal ER.  :-(   

We're still not exactly sure what happened but I heard him whining and soon discovered a pretty nasty torn/ripped wound on his chest.  He ended up having to get some staples to close it up.  He was pretty drugged up and sad looking when we got home.  

Poor baby. I was so sad for him.  :-(  

This is an older pic from an elbow surgery... but I suspect we will see this same sad "WTF is going on?" face once he comes out of his drug haze.

  It seems like he slept well, and my MIL is home with him today.  It was a very superficial wound (even though it looked gory), so he should be back to "normal" in a few days.

Anyhow, I'll get something together and blab about my weekend tomorrow probably.   

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and a nice looooooong weekend!

We Gave Thanks

Hello, friends!

And welcome to my new friends from Mish Lovin Life and Messy.Dirty.Hair!

So, I'm still kind of on vacation, which (apparently) also includes blogging the past few days.  Work was really hectic this week (even for only 3 days) and I didn't get time to prep any posts. 
Anyhow, I'm stealing most of this post...from myself. (I wrote a pre-Turkey Day post on my food blog.)  My plans for the holiday turned out pretty close to reality. We ate a ton yesterday and will be having leftovers all weekend! :-)

I decided to try a couple of new recipes, along with all the old (delicious) standards.  

One of the Pinterest finds I definitely wanted to try were these cranberry and brie cups.  There are only 4 ingredients in this one, and they look so yummy.  I love cheese and fruit, and warm brie... mmmmmm.  I don't think you can go wrong with warm brie. (These were a BIG hit and I should have made more than i did!)

Source: celebratemag.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

One of my favorites every year is green bean casserole.  I literally just make it from the recipe on the container of French's Onions, and, actually, I haven't even looked at the recipe since I was a kid.  I just know what goes in it.  I like it to be on the drier side, with lots of crunchy onions. (It turned out perfect, and we never have enough of it.  Maybe next year I'll remember to make more!)

Every year we always have POUNDS of mashed potatoes (and gravy).  My BF and his brother are usually in charge of that.  We make them do the mashing.  (Correct, they mashed 15 lbs of potatoes!)

Another of my favorites (one of my very favorite foods actually) are the sweet potatoes.  This year, though, I really want to try this sweet potato dish I saw on Pinterest.  Roasted grape, goat cheese and honey stuffed sweet potatoes....umm, yes please!!  
(DONE, and excellent!  Next time I might try a different cheese, but the roasted grapes?? TO.DIE.FOR. We actually had quite a few extra grapes and ate them pre-dinner with some Havarti cheese we had in the fridge. OMG.)

Source: howsweeteats.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

We'll definitely have a turkey, but once in a while we also have ham.   Now, as I may have mentioned (haha), I'm no chef, or even much of a cook. The sauce for the ham comes from my Nana. It's just a small jar of grape jelly mixed equally with mustard. It might sound strange, but TRUST ME, it's sooo good!   What I've done in the past is buy a precooked (but not flavored) ham, lay a bunch of slices out on a baking sheet, cover them in the sauce, and bake for a few minutes, just to warm the meat and caramelize the sauce a bit. (No ham this year, but I'm planning to do this ham for Christmas dinner!)

And of course, DESSERT!  I have never made a pie... maybe next year.  But I will buy one, or three. Pecan pie (my fave), pumpkin is always good, and the BF likes apple. 
(Actually... my BF and his mom did the shopping and we had a cheesecake!? Weirdos. It was still delicious, but I need my pumpkin pie!!) 

I hope everyone had a great meal, with great family/friends, and is enjoying a long weekend...Like I am!!  

Four day weekends don't happen very often in my world so I am trying to take full advantage of it!  

See you guys Monday!!   

(Or maybe Sunday for Confessions, if I can get my act together!)

Me, Myself, & I

Hola, amigas! 

 

I've seen this link up around since I started reading a lot of the lifestyle blogs, and finally got my stuff together in time to participate this month. :-)

In particular I've seen it on Jenna's blog, so happy to link up with her and the other lovely hosts.

It's just a way to find out a few random facts about each other!

 

 

What are your top 5 favorite movies to watch during the Holidays?

My favorite is probably A Christmas Story.  "You'll shoot your eye out!" (My boyfriend hates it.)

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a close second. 

I like some of the oldies... Miracle on 34th Street (the original) is a cute one.

I think Elf is hilarious and touching at the same time. 

My boyfriend likes Bad Santa, and I admit, it's funny.  ;-)

It’s the month of giving thanks, what are you most thankful for?

I'm thankful for...Our house, and these crazy dogs who share it with us.

I'm thankful for...My family and the fun places we go.

 

And, I'm thankful for this guy...of course. :-)

 

If there was a quote or verse to describe your life, what would it be?

 

Source: meggielynne.tumblr.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

Who in your family are you most like?

Hmm.  That might be something that someone else could answer better, but I think I'm a lot like both of my parents, in different ways.  Actually, I think my brother is, too.  So maybe my brother!  ;-)

What is your favorite drink order at Starbucks?

In "winter" (no such thing here) I love the Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but I do want to try the caramel brulee latte this year!!  For the other +/- 9 months of the year I almost always order: Venti ICED tuxedo, with 2 pumps dark and 4 pumps white chocolate, and light ice, and no whipped cream.   :-) 

Friday's Letters & November Stuff

Linking up with the lovely Ashley today for my letters.  

Dear Dr. Bro...  So excited to hang out with you this weekend.  I am glad you get a chance to relax and take a break from all the healing I assume you are doing every day. ;-)

Dear Dr. Bro's Girlfriend... Thank you for doing the San Diego Color Run so the two of you can come hang out! I hope it is fun, it sure looks like it will be.

Dear Trick or Treaters... Although there were not many of you, you sure were cute.  Especially the little girl in love with my Minnie Mouse witches hat.  Even my BF thought that was cute.

Dear November... Since my company decided to use our floating holiday on Veteran's Day, I am going to have 2 short weeks coming up.  That?  Is excellent.

Dear Election Day... Please hurry up and get here already! Geez... I am so tired of all the local political ads. The mayor of San Diego is apparently a very mud-slinging-necessary race.  All that does is make you both look slimy. Just shut up and get off my TV.

Dear Bloggers I am Sponsoring for (some or all of) November...  I felt like October was good for my little blog.  Let's see if we can make it happen again ladies! :-) 

Dear Readers... If you don't read any of these blogs yet, check them out!  Oh, and have a GREAT weekend please, would ya?  OK, good.

********************************************

For November you can find my button on these lovely spaces...

Across The Pond

Megan: CA girl in Scotland, model turned neuroscientist, engaged to an Irishman!

Mish Lovin Life

Mish: San Diego girl like me!, writes hilarious family stories, taking off to travel the world in just a few days!

A Beautiful Mess

Ricci: Big hair tamer, lover of all things Bath&BodyWorks, extremely sweet girl!

Perception is Everything

Janna: Soldier's wife, gorgeous inside and out, counting down deployment time!

Messy.Dirty.Hair
Kelly: fashionista, So Cal girl, and SO HELPFUL with blogging!

And a couple of repeats from October, I like these ladies a lot! (Obvs.)

Be Freckled  

English: Lives in Germany, takes gorgeous pics, and reads good books.

WTF 

Kristen: Also lives in Germany, kicks blog design's ass, and has been cooking some yummy stuff lately.

Eat, Drink, Be a Tourist (button swap!)

Kelsey: Lives just north of me, college student, fun loving CA girl.

***********************************************************

  Me, my Disney Halloween hat, and my main man, The Mickster.  

Yes, we coordinated our outfits.  Duh!

So, besides hanging with my bro and his girlfriend, I don't have any solid weekend plans.  We'll just be playing it by ear. (haha, see what I did there?  Ears, Mickey. No?)

I guess I could take down the Halloween decorations?  Or maybe we can leave them up for another week, so then we are that much closer to Christmas decorating! ;-) 

TGIF my friends, and hope the weekend treats you well!

P.S.  If you love Disney, like I do, then stay tuned!  I may have received a copy of Brave to review, and I may HAVE ONE TO GIVEAWAY next week!  (What??? I know.  So.friggin.excited.  hehe  It's the little things.)

Throwback Thursday - Vancouver!

Couple of quick notes... 

1) I am being featured over on Ricci's blog today (along with her other lovely November sponsors)! Yay! She has been great to work with so far and a really sweet girl and a new aunt!! :-)

2) Also, I should be finding out about the Ornament Swap (button on my sidebar) with Erin at Living In Yellow today! Kind excited about that. 

 

*********************************

So, for today's post, I poached borrowed this idea from the lovely Erica at Mi Todo...Throwback Thursdays, a brilliant idea!   

It's basically a chance to document pre-blogging life.  Which, I think, is pretty smart! 

I've only been writing this blog for less than a year.  My food blog, maybe 3 years?  But I'm 36, and we've been together 18 years. So...that's a lot of stuff to reminisce about!  :-) 

These are a few pics from a trip I took to Vancouver, BC (Canada) in  September of 2009.  I've been visiting my grandparents in Vancouver since I was a kid.  I used to go every summer for a week or more, hang out with cousins, and tour the sites of the city. 

My favorite spot to visit always was (and still remains) Granville Island Market.  If you've never been, it's like a giant, permanent farmer's market.  Since Vancouver is a coastal city, there are a LOT OF FISH.  Tons of fruits and vegetables.  There are also many restaurants and shops in and around the market. You can find clothing, baked goods, jewelery, local art, toys, housewares, beads... (the bead store was always our favorite store when we were tweens!) And there are plenty of maple items.  Mmmmm, maple sugar candy! You can also usually find musicians, street performers, and artisans. I always like to check out the totem poles being carves by First Nation members. 

If you've ever visited my food blog (button on sidebar!) you may recognize the first picture.  It's one of my favorites, and taken at Granville. :-)

I always enjoy a full day of browsing, eating and spending too much money at Granville. 

Another fun attraction (in 2009 particularly) are the Winter Olympic sites in and around the city.  The speed skating rink was actually just a few miles down the road from my Nana's house!  This is also the location that all of the drug testing for athletes was performed.

Since I visited before the Olympics, we got the chance to take a tour of the facility.  It was much more interesting than I originally thought it would be.  A lot of thought and care was taken to build the structure, and there was a lot of symbolism and local artistic flair incorporated into the design and construction.  

Now that the Olympics are over the building is used as a gigantic gym! 

(It probably has other uses, too, but I thought the gym idea was cool.)

I spent a lot of the weekend just chatting with my Nana, going to dinner, and enjoying the city I've grown to love.  Just last year my Nana moved back east, to Toronto, and I'm sad knowing I won't be able to visit her in this lovely city again. 

I'll  just have to be a big girl, visit on our own, and get a hotel!  ;-)

Nana and I, in my blonder and longer hair days, at the market.  :-)   Until next time, Vancouver!

 ***********************************

When I harassed asked Erica about borrowing her idea, she said she has done it as a link up in the past.  We discussed working together on it, so you might see a link up soon.

 I think we should all participate!  It's fun to stroll down memory lane.  :-) 

Happy Thursday everybody!!

Happy Birthday, Little Bro

I couldn't let this day slip past me without giving a shout out to my little bro.  
(Even though I am 99.9% sure nobody in my family know about or reads my blog. haha)

He's 4 years younger than I am, so he's turning the big 32 today.  :-)  

We don't spend as much time together as I would like....  
It's been a while (like 10+ years!) since we have lived near each other, basically since I moved away to college.  

I came to San Diego, he went to Santa Cruz.  

Then he lived in Portland, OR for a couple of years while preparing for med school.  

In 2007 he (and his awesome girlfriend) moved to Chicago 
so he could attend medical school there. 

Last year he graduated med school and got his residency in Los Angeles!  

So they are now back within driving distance, which makes me (and my mom) happy.  I see him every couple of months now, instead of once every two years!  Still not often enough, but he is almost ALWAYS working right now so, I'll take what I can get.  

And yep, he's a doctor!  I couldn't be more proud of him.  I bawled like a baby at his graduation.  I just know he is a great doctor.  I have never been, and probably never will be, his patient, because he works in psych and (for now) mainly in a psych hospital environment.  Right now he is working in the UCLA system, at a few different hospitals.  He chose psych while working with veterans back in Chicago, and I really think he is a good fit for it.  He is super smart, understanding, open minded and very chill, so I think his bedside manner is probably excellent.  Even with people who think their neighbors are putting Voodoo curses on them.  (Yeah, the stories we get from him are AWESOME!)

While we had plenty of fights (I used to beat the CRAP out of him until one day he was bigger than me!  How did that happen??) in our youth, I know that we have a special bond.  We grew up together.  And I like knowing that we have so many similar memories. 

My brother - 

he likes music, computer games, hats, NBA basketball and his friends and family.  

Also, he shares this day with our sadly missed Grandpa Jack. 

They have the same birthday, and the same big heart. 

(A scan of a photocopy, not such a great pic.)

I love you, doc!  Hoping you get to enjoy some time away from work for your birthday.  
Your Big Sister