Thursday's The Day

So you could say I'm a little nervous now (more than a little nervous). I had a nightmare last night that the surgeons were saying: "now this will only hurt a little" as they come baring down on me with medieval weapons to tear me apart. It's interesting because it's not the pain that I'm afraid of, it's the anesthesia, and being away from my kids for three days! Oh babies!

So, it's been determined that I am a match for David and we will be undergoing kidney transplant surgery on Thursday. I have done so much testing at UCSF! There were many initial tests, then many additional tests and over the last week, I've had to donate blood for myself, run some final blood work, have another EKG and in just a few minutes I'm leaving to drop off a sample for another urinalysis.

I have to start my fast tomorrow, Wednesday, at noon. Then it's only clear liquids. I'll have to drink magnesium citrate because enemas are so 1990. I also have to shower with hibiclens to remove as much bacteria from my skin as possible. I have to check in at the hospital at 7:30a Thursday, they'll gown me up, needle me up and prep me for anesthesia. Thankfully, they'll wait until I'm out to put the catheter and the breathing tube in (which is so wonderful, thank you!)

The doctors should be inside me by 1pm. They have decided to take my right kidney. Usually they take the left, but my left kidney has two large blood vessels whereas my right kidney only has one. This makes it a little more difficult because my liver will be in the way, but hey, you do what you gotta do. The removal will be laproscopic and then a small incision at my bikini line to remove the kidney. (Though they reserve the right to fully open me if necessary). Please liver, stay out of the way!

They say I'll be in recovery by 6p and even though I'll probably feel like I got hit by a semi, I should be walking around the next morning. I've heard mixed stories about the amount of pain I'll be in, so we'll just see how it goes. I know that this surgery is very common and well studied and with Dr. Keng doing the cutting I feel like I'm in good hands.

I'll be having my dad give me a blessing to help soothe the butterflies in my stomach. Though, I really think he'll need a blessing since he'll be helping watch the babies while I'm pre-occupied. Well, it's almost here now, so wish me luck!

So it'sbeen awhile...

But man do twins keep you busy! (And I know you're saying, well Kate had sextuplets, but that's the exception!)

Life has been very busy and hectic and I barely have a moment to myself, so to all the friends I'm neglecting, I'm very sorry and I love you very much.

Genevieve has started crawling. The first day, she just did it. She slowly put one knee in front of the other until she made it to the red ball she had been eying, then she turned around, faced me, realized how far away she was and burst into tears. Now, in just a few days, she has mastered her fear and is giving me additional cause for concern. How does she get away so fast? I now have to spend an extra hour each evening cleaning the three main rooms and making sure the floors are spotless and there's nothing small or dangerous within her reach. I was afraid of this moment and the work it would create, but the joy I feel at seeing her determine her route and destination is amazing. These little pleasures are so wonderful.

Liliana

I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Words can't even describe the swelling of emotion I feel when I look into her smiling eyes.

I truly understand the scripture: "Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy." There is no joy like being a parent.

I would do anything for this perfect being. She is one of the most precious things I have ever been blessed to hold. I hope that she will truly know how much I love her. Sweet Lily.

Girlz Rule!

So, this was my first night out with friends in, let's see.... 4 years? I'm not kidding. I've done a few lunches, and had some evenings where I brought Jordan, but last Saturday was my first night out in ages. It was all to celebrate my BFF DawnAnn who's getting married at the end of the month. We had a nice dinner at the Elephant Bar and then some games at Dave and Busters (I had no idea that place was such a meat market!) It was really nice to go out, meet new people, have a little bit of freedom and hang with other women my age! Alas, after just a couple hours playing skeeball and earning tickets from coin push games, I was wracked by "mommy guilt". The anxiety was terrible, and I had to leave at 10p

Then, to make matters worse, when I got home after being gone a full 6 hours, I got the third degree from my husband who was unable to cope with our children for that length of time. I guess I won't be going out without kids for 17 years, 7 months.

Little Man

Funny Jordan. He can always make me laugh. Even today, when he brought home a yellow slip because he was horsing around in music class. He's great at making other people laugh and has excellent comedic timing, which is wonderful, except during music class. He does so well in all his other subjects and is a model student the rest of the time. It's music that does him in. He doesn't like the songs or the teacher and gets so bored that he goofs off. I believe it's good for him to learn now that there will always be classes he won't enjoy, but must pay attention and respect the teacher regardless. Seven's as good a time as any to learn. I hope he absorbs this reality so he can succeed throughout the rest of his educational career.

100% Organic

My babies ate their first real food! Yummy organic rice cereal. They could not get enough. I think this new addition to their routine is their favorite. I could tell they were ready because they both had began watching me intently as I ate and copied the opening and closing of the mouth. They are doing a great job. V.V. eats a bit more than Lily (though I have to hold her hands cause they go straight in her mouth, full of cereal or not).

Lily is a much more "artistic" eater. She is still so thrilled that she can blow bubbles, she doesn't yet know that eating and blowing bubbles are not really compatible if you prefer your food in your stomach rather than on your bib. I love these awesome girls. I'm so excited to try adding vegetables to their diet in a few weeks. Thank you Safeway for your O line of organics. It is greatly appreciated!

Bored?

Did you ever purposely put glue on your hand as a child, wait for it to dry and then scare your friends pretending your skin was peeling? I don't know if I was attempting to reclaim my childhood or if I was really bored... but here it is. While working on an art project, I intentionally squirted Elmer's glue on the palm of my hand and held my hand really still for 40 minutes until it had completely dried. Does that make me weird? (I accept the fact that I'm weird, but should this behavior be added to the "what makes me weird" list of personality traits?) It was neat to pull it off and see a complete replica of the my skin, the life lines, scars and palm prints in a glue copy. I was thinking of saving it, but that would be borderline crazy!