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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Coming Up For Air

Even though I haven't written here for over a year, not a day went by that I didn't have Blogger Brain.  Something crazy would happen, and I would start to write a post about it in my head.  I had so much going on that it never made it to paper, but it's the thought that counts, right?  

It feels damn good to be writing again for real, outside of my head.  I've been gone from here for way too long.

There's no easy way to sum up the last 16 months, but I'll give it a whirl.

1) I grew a baby!  It was a really rough pregnancy, though, and I was so glad when it was over.  I had pneumonia twice, was sick with one thing or another the rest of the time, and developed gestational diabetes.  At the end I got sciatica so badly I couldn't walk (and had to be wheeled to Dr. appointments!).   

2) Our son, Mason, was born after 36 hours of labor. 36.  Without medication.  Oh, that's a lie.  I did have a jab or two of something that gave me quite a lovely buzz when I hit transition.  It was a little sketchy because the nurse gave it to me after I told him no, but once I'd had it, I was like, I'll have more of THAT, please.

3) Gabi started Kindergarten and is now in the 1st grade.  It's so weird to have a kid in school.  If anything has made me feel like a full fledged mom, that's it.  The minivan in our near future will seal the deal.

4) On the work front, Gilberto injured his back at work and has been home with me this entire time.  We hated each other in the beginning, but it's all good now.  I don't know how much longer I'll be able to be a stay at home mom (which I LOVE), but we are making it work for now by living simply.  Getting laid off has been a true blessing in the Learning To Live On A Tight Budget department.  Now that we've learned how to handle money, God can bring on the big lottery win.

5) In addition to my wheat allergy, I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and Fibromyalgia.  That may seem like a bummer, but I'm just so happy to be able to put an identity to what I've been going through.  Now I know how to try and make things better.   

6) I've become addicted to non-classy reality TV.  Classy being The Amazing Race and Survivor.  Non-classy being The Jersey Shore and Money Hungry.  My DVR list is shameful.

7) I've lost my memory.  After two babies, all hope is gone that I'll ever regain the brain I once had.  This could be problematic if I ever get an interview, but it helps me not feel like an idiot after baby talking to a nine month old all day long. 

8) Last but not least, I've started to drool in my sleep.  Why my mouth has started to betray me in this way, I have no idea, but it's gross.  With the snoring, co-sleeping, and now drool, our bed is now the least romantic spot in the house.

It may take me a while to get my groove back, but I'll keep writing until I do.  An upcoming teaser- we're heading to Brazil again in a week and a half.  I should have some fantastic in-law stories.

 

 

23 comments:

  1. Laurel...you, as always, have managed to put a smile on my face with your amazing gift of humor. Congrats on Mason, I can't believe Gabi is a 1st grader (where does time fly...) and I'm so glad your health issues have been identified. Cheers to you, my dear friend!

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  2. I literally squealed a little when this popped up in my reader. I'm so glad you are back!

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  3. Yay! You're back!
    And I too am so glad they've finally been able to identify your health issues. When we know what the beast is, we better know how to deal, right? ((Hugs))
    <3

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  4. I missed you! I'm so glad everything is going well. I was worried that something horrible happened to make you stop blogging. Anyway, glad to hear from you again and have fun in Brazil!

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  5. So happy you finally made writing here a priority for yourself again :) I know it always brought you lots of joy.

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  6. delighted to see your post today! welcome back, i missed you!
    smiles,
    j

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  7. Laural, it's so wonderful to see you again! Congratulations on Mason's birth! Wow, wheat (and all gluten, or just wheat?), hypothyroidism, and fybromyalgia -- that's a lot of stuff going on! I can happily exchange gluten-free recipes with you -- we're on gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free over here, the house of insane special diets. :) I hope you ARE feeling better now that you know what you're dealing with. And hope Gilberto's back is better, too. Can't wait to hear the in-law stories. :)

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  8. Missed you! Glad to hear you've been thriving. Welcome back!

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  9. Laurel!!!!!!!! I've missed you. *Grin* (And you KNOW I was stalking you this past year, trying to figure out if you were still alive.)

    Congrats on everything good, BOO on everything bad, and HOORAY for silver linings! (And have fun in Brazil. *Grin*)

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  10. Wow! It's been EONS! lol! Glad to see you're back! Sorry to hear of that 36 hour birth. O-M-G! OUCH! Pnemonia twice? You poor girl! Can't wait to see pics of your new trip to Brazil. I need to see sunshine, it's getting very cool here.

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  11. OMG! I've missed you!
    I checked back for you so often and am glad you decided to come back to blogging. :-)

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  12. Wow! That's quite the journey! Welcome back to the blogosphere:-)

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  13. WOW! I couldn't believe it when I saw your comment over at my blog! You're back! 36 hours? Oh my WORD. That is so tough. Congrats on your new babe and welcome back. It is so nice to have you back.

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  14. Laural!! I'm speechless. Overcome with happiness. You're back!!

    Um...36 hours?! Holy cow girlfriend! As if the pregnancy wasn't difficult enough, haha! Congrats on your newest addition, hun!

    And I love me some in law stories--I can't wait!

    Missed you SO much! xo

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  15. Oh my goodness!!! I saw your name pop up in my email and was so happy to see you! I wondered if everything was okay with pregnancy and new baby and such. Sounds like things have been pretty crazy - such is life, right? We went through job loss/job searching as well - so I know what you mean about the tight budget. :P Congrats on the baby & I'm glad you've found out what is going on health wise and can start feeling better. So glad that you are back!!!

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  16. Well, I just posted on your "knocked up post" and realized that it was from LAST YEAR. SO sorry. Still happy for you though! Sometimes I skip ahead on blog posts and read backwards to the current date. Perhaps I shouldn't comment until I've read all the way back to the beginning :)

    I'm excited that you are blogging again! Your posts are so much fun to read :)

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  17. What can I say but, YAY! She is BACK! :) I really did miss your posts. Aren't baby boys FANTASTIC?! I just adore my little guy. Wait til you see the post I have a brewin' with him in all his nude glory! I am so sorry your pregnancy sucked (mine totally did too- hence the reason my hubby was snipped and no more kids are in our future). Keep the posts coming, I MISSED YOU!

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  18. Hey Laural!! I was wondering what happened to you! Congratulations on the baby boy! :)

    A lot has happened to me too... no longer dating the american army guy, now I'm very happy with a swiss guy (he is wonderful) and I moved to Toronto! Right now, the swiss boyfriend is visiting me and I just went through 2 movings, but finally found a place to live in the cold city! :)

    I hope you don't stop writing again!

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  19. I've missed you. Yeah baby boy!
    Keep your drooley mouth saying your words and I'll be over here reading them.

    XOXOXOXO!

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  20. AHHHHHHHHHHH I missed you so much! Love you past crazy Elf

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  21. Hi Laurel! It is great to see you are back! I'll look out for future posts!!
    Wow had no idea you went through all that! Congrats on the new baby!! We are so happy for you. Love to all! Your cousin, DD

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  22. I'm glad you're back! I started reading your blog right before you stopped posting. My husband is Brazilian too. Can't wait to read about your trip! I'm headed to Brazil in Feb.

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