Stew no more!

I'm sure as Nyla gets older I'll be seeing this look on her face more often :)

This is a NYLA ONLY update. She is no longer refusing to eat anything but stew... this deserves a huge HOOOOORAY because stew is no longer welcome in my home. If I never see stew again I'll be ok with it :) I've drawn the line in the sand... just TRY to cross it. It won't be pretty...
She all of a sudden became very curious and will try just about anything. She has only turned her nose up at bananas. She loves spicy or strong tasting foods. LOVES quesadillas with salsa, and was even excited about eating parmesan chicken that I had made. (Not the breaded kind...ewww). So things are good on that front.
She's growing so fast, and of course has a fierce mullet - but I can't decide if I should cut it or give it a chance to grow out. It seems like the top is starting to catch up a little bit... OY! Someone tell me if she starts looking like Billy-Ray Cyrus' lost twin. I view her with 'mommy eyes' so I might not be able to tell. I just don't want to cut it!
She was supposed to see a specialist about her hips, but at the visit with our family doctor before the appointment with the specialist, she (the doc) couldn't hear the click in her hips anymore. She said that's a really good sign, and although she still has too much flexibility she's not too concerned. When she's closer to 2 we'll get it looked at again just to make sure everything is really ok. It definitely doesn't slow her down at all. She spends most of the day running around the house... or we make up funny walks for eachother to try... so she's doing fine.
She's sleeping much better now too. She still wakes up at night, but nowhere near as often as she did before.

We're excited for christmas this year. I think she's going to go crazy for the lights and different fun activities we have planned. Darryl's sister Laurie is going to be here for Christmas so we're VERY excited about that.

Here are a couple of pictures of her first painting experience. I emailed them to most of the fam, but thought I'd post them here due to the extreme cuteness factor involved.

We met with the doctor today. Darryl doesn't have a brain tumor. They did some kind of screening test a while ago that showed that his adrenal glands are functioning, so that means its not Addison's Disease either. (I LOVE how they said it was definitely one or the other... Jerks).
Anyway, this means that we're right back at the beginning again. The specialist will be back in town next week, so I'm sure he'll have some ideas (this is what I keep telling myself anyway).
I can't even begin to explain how frustrating this is. We thought that we'd at least have a treatment plan of some kind after today. This is a huge blow... the thought of dragging it out for months is so CRAP!
So, my plan to preserve my sanity is to dream myself to a cabin in the woods somewhere when I need a 'happy place'. Otherwise I'm going to chant "I am calm" over and over while rocking in the fetal position (possibly hiding under the bed, but I haven't pinned down the specifics of this plan yet). I also may start drinking in the morning in order to stay mellow throughout the entire day (yes, I'm kidding about the drinking... or am I???)
So, if you see me twitching just walk on by cuz I'll probably go all 'crazy irish' on you... I can throw potatoes with superhuman strength - this is the only warning you'll receive :O

Nyla learned another new word... BOOGIE!! Bahahahhaahhaaa! She's such a nerd :) She always blows her nose but thinks its funny so can't usually contain herself enough to wait for a kleenex. She ends up blowing boogies all over me (nasty I know). I usually ask her a few times a day if she has any boogies as a kind of pre-emptive strike on the stream of snot that could (and has) hit me full force in the face. A few days ago she came up to me and said "Boogie", so I asked her if she needed to blow her nose... sure enough that's what she wanted. Unfortunately she still lets it fly, but she kills herself laughing and saying "Boogie boogie" over and over (usually with snot hanging out of her nose). Besides the actual snot, I think this whole thing is pretty cute.
Who knew kids could be so entertaining :)

Today is the day

Darryl's cat scan got changed to today. I'm nervous but glad it's earlier than originally planned.
I'll try to post some news later, depending on what happens. If something shows up we'll be out of here pretty quick, so I'll post again when I can. Otherwise you can look forward to reading more posts full of my great wit and charm... :)

*PS Any more emails with wisecracks about my taste in music will just cause me to add a new Bjork video EVERY DAY! You'll just have to accept the fact that I don't tap my toes to your country tunes... geesh, can't we all just get along :P

UPDATE: We have to wait till monday for the results.

Another one

Another great one by Bjork.
Yes, I will start posting Nyla pictures again. Get off my back jerks!! :P

'Unravel'

How can you tell I have insomnia??

a post about jeans, stained glass and Ashley

I'm so excited... A few years ago it was REALLY hard to find jeans that were long enough for me. I usually had to buy men's jeans - which aren't that great for women due to the whole HIP issue... Anyway, thanks to the '80's high heel with jeans' craze coming back into fashion it is now EASY to find jeans with a 35" inseam. They're everywhere... and I'm happy.

So there you have it, there is at least one good thing about the return of 80's fashion. (I guess it sucks for you short people... unless you like wearing heels with jeans, then you're set).

I finished my stained glass class tonight. I'm pretty impressed with my project... I may even post a pic sometime. I'd do it now, but I'm tired and I have a headache from huffing solder fumes all night long. I've decided to invest in some equipment and set up a little 'studio'. Next on my list is oil painting... I have a feeling its going to be great.
* Edit... I'm adding pics. I'm so proud of myself :)












So, in the midst of everything going on around here I've been trying to focus on at least one thing everyday that I can be grateful for so I don't become all crusty and mean.
Today I'm sooo completely grateful for my big bro's girlfriend Ashley. This girl is stellar... I'm still cooking and cleaning for both households and she just came up to me a few days ago and said that she saw I was tired and would like to help out. Now, lots of people (including family) have said this, but nothing much comes of it so I was completely floored when I went over there and she had made a bunch of meals for my Dad and put them in the freezer for him. She had also cleaned and done some shopping. Its not a one time deal either, she made dinner for them tonight too! It may not seem like a big thing to you, but it makes a world of difference to me. This girl is the bees knees... here's hoping Kevin doesn't screw it up!

Great days and chats with good friends

Today has been a great day. It seemed like everyone, everywhere was laughing... a lot.
Things have just gone really smoothly for the most part, or at least we dealt with things smoothly. My stained glass class starts tomorrow... so I'm pretty much ready to rock and roll.

I chatted with my great friend Mike Fernando tonight - we were reminiscing about funny things that happened throughout the years of our friendship. We did a lot of crazy things, but man we had fun :) Our humor is very similar so we'd pull stunts that we thought were bloody hillarious, but usually people would end up staring at us like we were crazy...
Anyway, the point of all this is that it made me all sentimental. I started thinking about how amazing it is to have great friends who have shared so many different experiences with me.
How incredible is it to be able to look back on life and realize that all the great/not so great/generally crazy moments have been shared with incredible people who are (for the most part) still close friends?!
Life can never be that bad when you're surrounded (even if its just in spirit) by friends like I have. Man, how did I get so lucky? Who knows, but I'm sure grateful for each and every one of you.


In this world, where everything seems uncertain, only one thing I wish to be definite, you will always be my friend, beyond words, beyond time and beyond distance.
Anonymous

Life in a small town.

So, we finally got the date for Darryl's cat scan (November 30), and the tests he was supposed to have done this week had to be put off because there was a mix up between the specialist dude's nurse and the hospital... Boooo on those clowns!
Nobody told us that a team of people has to be there, so since it wasn't booked we have to wait and see when they're all available.
This is normally when I'd have the brain fog brought on by severe rage, but it just so happens that I walked past an art gallery and saw some really amazing black and white forest pictures. I'm not sure if you know what its like to have some kind of object that just brings you instant calm, but trees/forests do it for me, so I went in and stared at these pictures for waaaay too long. I saw the woman who was working start to creep up to me so I knew I had worn out my welcome and was just starting to look like a crazy person. (Yes, I'm used to looking like a crazy person, so save your smart remarks people).
I've been having a lot of dreams about running away to live in this little cabin in the woods (Don't worry, I heard that it burned down so I won't really be running away to the middle of nowhere). I think its my brain's way of taking a mini vacation while I sleep, so I think seeing those pictures was just a nice little bit of a breather for my brain. Now I feel much better... I probably won't even go bust any heads or go ninja crazy on anyone.

In other news, Nyla got her snowsuit in the mail from MEC. She's sooo freaking cute! She's tall and thin, so the length is good but she's not chubby enough to fill it out, so she's just one big puffball. I loaded her into her baby backpack and we went for a little hike a few days ago. She loved it, so there will be many more winter adventures to come. I didn't get any pictures because it was just me and her, but I'm sure I'll have some new ones to post soon.



She doesn't look very impressed but she was nice and toasty outside!

Well that's all the news for now. Hope you're all enjoying our lovely winter!!

Yaay for Bjork

I've always been a big Bjork fan. I just thought I'd share this video since its a great one. I love her ideas... its nice to see something completely different.

OK, The specialist has spoken...

Too bad he didn't really have much to say. He's leaning towards the brain tumor (which is actually good news). Darryl has soooo many more tests to do, and he'll also be having a cat scan (FINALLY!!). Poor guy, we left the office and he had a stack of requisitions in his hand. BUT hopefully within the month we'll have a definite diagnosis and a treatment plan.
It's a bit frustrating still being in the dark, but Darryl has a really great sense of humor, so we're keeping things pretty light. He's hoping that if he has brain surgery they'll either give him some bionic bits, or give him some 'Rain Man' abilities. Yes, he's a nerd.

Nothing else is new. I've been going nuts buying things on the internet. We had planned to go to Edmonton to do some shopping, but with everything going on we just don't have the time. I bought an AMAZING dress (well, amazing in my opinion. I realize that most of you think I dress like a crazy person). I'll try to post a pic...




I love the colors. I'm just crossing my fingers that my somewhat... um... ample bosom fits discreetly into the dress. I don't like the belt thing, so depending on how its all rigged up I might take it off. sigh, so many fun dresses in the world just calling my name... Good thing we now have a dressmaker/alteration whiz in the fam (yaay for Dawn!).

I also ordered this...

Perfect for fall/winter. Cooooomfy :) 3 cheers for organic cotton!!!
I can't remember everything else that I ordered... I shouldn't shop while stressed. I hate the act of actually going somewhere and spending hours looking around at stuff... sooooo bloody boring, so I think I went a bit crazy with the online stuff. Short and sweet is the best way to shop.

Now, if Birkenstock made winter boots life would be grand ;)


I raided MEC for all of Nyla's winter stuff. She's going to be one toasty little puffball this winter. It's going to be so nice to get out and do some fun winter stuff this year. There are some REALLY great cross country ski trails that we're planning on getting quite familiar with. They have these cute little huts at different intervals where you can go in and start a fire if you're cold or need a break. Very kid friendly. We're crossing our fingers that Nyla learns to love her baby backpack. I think she'll have a lot of fun as long as we're moving. She has no patience for standing still... especially when she's tied into something like a backpack or carseat.
My brother's girlfriend is making him come with us :) You have no idea how funny this is to me. I'm going to take lots of pictures... Did I mention that he went camping... for FUN?? Is the world spinning off its axis or something? Sigh, I know this is only funny to those of us who know him. If you don't know him just imagine someone with the disposition of Red Foreman (that 70's show) frolicking in the wilderness. Still not funny?? well, you'll just have to take my word for it then.


OH! We just installed a new version of Photoshop (CS3). I'm getting the instructional DVD this time too since I didn't ever have the time or patience to figure out the last one - then in a fit of rage I uninstalled it... So, if anyone has brilliant ideas on how to make this work better, ie: work at all (coughcough CHRIS???? cough cough...) Note to Christy: that was a not so subtle request to share the wealth of Chris' computer brainiacness... tell him I'll pay him with a big ol' high fiver, AAAND a super cute Christmas card featuring NYLA :)
I'm determined that I'm going to get Nyla's photo albums put together this winter. I haven't printed out pictures AT ALL. I just keep saving them to discs.
I'm going to take some fun courses too. My first one (stained glass) is at the end of the month. Then I'm taking an oil painting class... This looong descent into the black hole of sub-arctic winter will hopefully pass much faster if we're busy busy busy...

Man, I can sure ramble even with nothing much to talk about. I'll post updates as we get them.
Thanks for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. We appreciate them.
Hugs from us

The rest of the update.

This part of the update isn't as fun, so I'll get the crappy stuff out of the way and end with some news that's more fun.
So, we found out that Darryl either has a pituitary (brain) tumor or Addison's disease. He's been going for non-stop tests, and has a whole load more infront of him. There is a specialist in town now that Darryl will see on Tuesday. This guy is basically the man with the plan. He's going to order all the more specialized tests and cat scan, so hopefully it won't be too much longer till we know what exactly we're dealing with. We don't even know what we're hoping for because both have positives but super crappy negatives as far as illness is concerned.
I'm just pissed off... Those of you who know Darryl know that this is SO BLOODY UNFAIR for him to have to deal with. He's the kindest and generally best person I know. I have never seen a man more dedicated to his family, and he works SO hard. On his days off he takes Nyla for Daddy time uptown. They go for breakfast and have little adventures together... he's just amazing.
Thank God I know how strong he is, because I don't believe for a second that we won't get past this. This man will kick ass regardless of whichever disease he has to battle. He's being awesome. I know he feels like complete shit all the time, but he's still as funny as ever. You'll never catch him moping around feeling sorry for himself! Please keep him in your thoughts/prayers etc!!

Now, the other difficult news. My Dad is in end stage Parkinsons. Parkinsons dementia is beginning, which makes him very confused and overwhelmed and usually pretty irritable. He can't make decisions very well and is often too overwhelmed and tired to cook or clean etc. He has about a year to live, so we're hoping that his mind will stay as clear as possible and that he'll be strong enough to stay in his home. (By the way, there are major grants for elderly people to help them make their homes safe enough so they can remain in them for as long as possible. One grant covers medical equipment and another one covers renovations. Let me know if you know someone who could benefit from this and I'll pass on the info).

NOW, the fun news!! First of all, I'm very excited to inform you that Kevin, my older brother, has found an amazing girl... (believe me, that news alone is super) AND they are in the process of buying a house AND are expecting a baby in February! We were all shocked, like jaw to the floor shocked! He has never been one to want family life. I'm excited because this girl is AMAZING!!!! We get along sooo well. We love the same things and have so much in common. Yaaaaay! Now I'll have someone to do tons of fun stuff with!

The other fun news is just that Nyla is super cute, so I thought I'd post a little video of her in her cute, hot pink long johns. She's usually much more vocal, but as soon as the camera comes out she gets pretty quiet.


I think that's about it for now. I'll update when we have more info.