A salute to Plastics?

Shortly before the end of my Plastic surgery rotation (which I loved - and no question, it's what I would do if I had no family, and no intention of ever having a family), I called a close friend to inform her that I had hit, what I believed to be the lowest point in my life. I had received an invitation to a Botox party. And not just any Botox party, a 'Sex in the City' Botox party. Now, if you are unsure as to what a "Botox party" is, because you have never watched The real Housewives of Orange County, for which I do not blame you (I am well aware that everyone is not a glutton for punishment, as I,) let me explain. Everyone meets at a plastic surgeon's office, and shares vials of Botox, thus getting multiple sites injected at an extremely reduced price. From that point, the ladies are to head out for martini's then to watch the movie 'Sex in the City 2'.

Now, if you know me, just by the previous paragraph, there should be approximately 3-5 glaringly obvious reasons why I would take this as hitting rock bottom. First of all, I am 27 years old. Though I have a bit of sun damage and an ever increasing number of freckles, I feel everything is still lifted to its' proper postion on my face. Second, a knock on myself, who have I befriended that feels I would be interested in this sort of event!? Perhaps my character judgement is lacking in my, apparently, advanced age. (To her defense, the inviter was not hosting the party, it was her older and wealthier housewife friends with not much better to do with time nor money.) Third, I do not like 'Sex in the City' or at least, I would never admit to it, and I surely would not celebrate it. Hello, I am a tomboy. Fourthly, I detest, absolutely dread, any sort of girly gathering that is meant to profit someone. No candle parties, or Mary Kay parties, or passion parties, etc for me. Why is it men have figured out that these things are a drain on time, money and energy, and we women continue to do them!? These type of events probably rank in the top 5 of things I would not mind eradicating completely from our culture (followed or preceded by such items as: any lines anywhere, all girl showers, time shares, etc). And last, but not least, the one part of the event I might enjoy, martini's, is not an option for me currently, as I am 5 months pregnant.

So, needless to say, my RSVP read: Not Attending.

Name Bracket

As women, we get the luxury of choosing between 2 last names upon getting married; either we keep our own, or switch to our spouses. Seeing as I was Smith before, O'Laughlin was an easy choice for me. Not only did it add a bit of uniqueness to my, otherwise, absolutely generic name, but it moved me up the alphabetical name bracket...just 4 letters from the top half! As Susan Woessner and I discussed (both being alphabet backenders as well - which being last, or near last, for everything growing up does NOT suit psychotically competitive people well), we are not sure what the bride was thinking upon agreeing to marry this gentleman last weekend...from Anne Williams, to Anne Wind!? Where does that get you?
But really, the wedding in Troy, Michigan this weekend was one filled with love, admiration, coordination, reuniting, reminiscing, joy and DANCING. Anne, of course, had a slightly choreographed dance for the wedding party's entrance to the reception. And no one was surprised when 'Dirty Pop' turned up on the DJ's playlist. Anne and Mike had been together for over 6 years, so everyone was ready for this event! Nearly the entire graduating class of Indiana '04 were in attendance and quite a few from '03. Jinji and I representing '05 and the lone Susan from '02. The whole weekend could not have gone smoother, and more beautifully, with only one minor glitch...
...Saturday night, around 10:50pm, when I return from the dance floor, I see 2 missed calls from Matt as well as a text that says "Call Me!" Umm, I think we can all imagine how I felt upon seeing that my husband, who RARELY calls while I am out of town, has tried to contact me 3 times in 15 minutes. That reaks 'emergency'. So, I quickly exit the blaring ball room, to find a quiet nook to call and find out whether or not my child is still alive. Matt answers in a calm, normal tone, giving me a glimpse of hope that perhaps he had just had a few too many drinks at his own wedding in KC, and had lost his sense of judgment as to what is considered an important phone call. Then, he non-chalantly says, "So, I was changing Brock's diaper..."

Ok, at this point, I am thinking: please don't tell me you are at the hospital, please.

"...and I noticed a bunch of red spots that could be some kind of bug bite, but I dropped him at my parent's anyway, but now both of his knees are very swollen, he won't walk on them, and he has a slight temperature."

Go to the ER! We have had a very ugly, peculiar looking spider, living in our kitchen windowsill, that continues to evade death, despite our many attempts, and now I am quite sure it's a Brown Recluse, and Brock is filled with toxin, and is going to at least lose both legs, if not die.

"I have called Dr. Water's, and he just thinks it is a reaction to some virus, and to just take Brock into the office tomorrow morning."

Dr. Water's was my family's pediatrician, as well as Matt's growing up, and his wife is my Godmother. So there is probably no one in the world I trust more than a close family-friend pediatrician of 30+ years who helped my mother and mother-in-law raise 9 healthy children, therefore, I yield to this option with one request: Matt must wake up at least one time throughout the night to make sure Brock's temperature has not sky-rocketed. I had Steven's-Johnson's as a viral reaction to Chicken Pox when I was 18ish months, and was hospitalized for quite some time. He agrees, I am somewhat OK with this plan of action and return to the reception.

Upon returning, I explain the situation to a few people, one being a doctor herself (Dermatology resident), and no one seems overly concerned, so whatever. But, upon describing Brock's symptom's, my former roommate, someone with absolutely no medical training: Brooke, asks, was he on penicillin recently? Lightbulb. He was! So I tell her, yes, he finished 6 days of it on Friday. And she excitedly responds, "Oh my gosh, that is exactly what happend to my nephew recently, 24 hours after finishing an 8 days course of penicillin, his knees suddenly swelled up, then he got a rash over his whole body; I guess he is allergic to it." That is it. Brooke solved the mystery. I am nearly 100% relieved, I call Matt back, he does some internet investigation, agrees, continues with our plan of action and takes Brock to the doc on Sunday morning. A reaction to penicillin it is. Turns out, Matt's mother, and my grandmother have this same problem. Simple solution, but still a nightmare of a situation. At least my son is fine, despite some discomfort, and I can officially say that it took 19 months with a child before having a true medical scare. I'd say we are all pretty lucky.

Phew.So, I went on to enjoy the rest of the reception with some Nelly and Lady Gaga. Had farewell coffee and bagels with my long-time Hoosier friends the next morning. Got to join a med school friend, Gretchen, for lunch before flying home (next to an overly-concerned, little, old lady who continuously asked me, "are you OK?") to Kansas City and my boys.

Routine?

In Brock's current stage of development, he is loving routine. When he sees me pick up trash he runs to the trash can and points to it, mumbling some incoherent babbles, I can only assume means, "that goes right here". It is the same with dirty clothes - to the hamper that is. If I mention going for a walk, he runs about the house searching for the dogs leashes, then attempts to hook them to the dogs' necks, then runs to get his own shoes. This morning, he saw Matt make himself a plate of food, therefore got up from the table and ran into the kitchen to guide his father to the proper seat at the dining table. But my favorite routine? Doesn't even make any sense.

Brock currently has an ear/sinus infection, for which he is taking amoxicillin - you know, that pink chalky liquid (which I find to be absolutely scrumptious). Well, Brock just thinks he hates all medicine, so he won't even try it without a struggle. Previous to about 2 days ago, Matt and I would tag team Brock. One would hold him down and pinch his nose, while the other pried open his mouth and forced in the medicine. Generally, we do this sitting on the dining room floor. As Brock is beginning to put 2 and 2 together, we came up with the brilliant idea of bribing him with fruit snacks. After only one time of presenting a fruit snack and explaining if he takes his medicine, he gets the fruit snack, Brock instantly recognized the routine. Now, as soon as Matt opens the fridge and pulls out the medicine bottle, Brock runs and points to the cabinet with the fruit snacks, then runs into the dining room and sits on the floor, patiently awaiting his meds and snacks. The only problem? He still thinks that us pinning him down, while he fights us, is PART of the routine. Seriously. He sits calmly, and waits for us to join him on the floor, then climbs in my lap, but as soon as we present the medicine, he flips out - but doesn't run anywhere. He is literally waiting for us to forceably administer his medication. Guess it will still be a while before he obtains logic (if ever).

Whoa, we're halfway there...

I say "whoa" (when I think the actual lyrics might be "oohh") because I cannot believe it's already been 20 weeks! And whoa, I look preggers. I feel like I was pregnant with Brock FOREVER, and this pregnancy is flying. I am technically at the exact halfway point - but we all know, I hope this is not truly halfway, because Baby 2.0 WILL come early. I really have no significant updates, besides that 2.0 loves lunchtime. Pretty sure it does at least 5-6 full rotational flips while I am eating. Feels like we've got another crazy, energetic baby! Matt even got to feel the little one move for the first time tonight - 6 weeks earlier than with Brock! I am still feeling fabulous, considering my "delicate situation", and in comparison to the worst of it, so it's all good. Perhaps I will contemplate a 3rd child someday, perhaps. We still have quite a ways to go.

The "whoa" could also be interpreted as more of a "phew", as I successfully presented a surgical case in front of a class of KU students and a slightly, intimidating (but no more so than any coach I have dealy with) surgeon. Public speaking is absolutely not on my list of talents, but I did achieve the 2 goals I set before every presentation: 1- I did not pass out nor hyperventilate and 2-I made the audience laugh, despite the quivering vocals. Thus explaining why I am wearing business casual clothing. And though I look huge in this picture, I can actually still fit in 90% of my normal clothing, buttons and zippers are getting a bit tight, but they are still manageable.

Win, Win Kind of Situation

Jeanie interrupted my lap swimming to invite me to fill in the extra seat at their table for the St. Teresa's Trivia Night fundraiser. At least I had made it an exact mile before I sprinted home, changed, dropped some items for my kid at my mother's and headed to my high school Alma Mater for some trivia fun. While there, I enjoyed a great dinner consisting of tortilla roll-ups, Cheetos and veggies.

2nd Place Winning Team

I think we realized the key to winning this trivia was to have a trans-generational team. Jeanie's father and friend took care the questions prior to the 1980's while we picked up the slack in the more current affairs. Though I have to give Big Joe some credit, and name him MVP. I should have been the Science and Nature queen - but turns out, sometimes knowing too much is detrimental. Umm, the "funny bone" is not a bone at all and is in fact due to the Ulnar Nerve and Calcium Carbonate is Tums, chalk, give me a break. We ended up in 2nd place despite these technicalities and won a whopping $200 divided between the 8 of us - you do the math.

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Also, my sister and I took advantage of a cloudy, with a chance of rain type day to take the boys to the zoo. I love the zoo, only when it's below 85 though. This is for more than just my comfort - animals hate the blazing heat as well and do nothing but hide in the shade or lie around in the dirt. Also, small children tend to get a bit cranky, therefore this turned out to be quite a nice afternoon. Even with Brock and his "Summer cold".
We bought the boys matching wagon t-shirts from Old Navy, specifically with a zoo adventure in mind. And we were surprisingly coordinated. What adorable cousins!

Blue Steel

Like Zoolander, Tater has some issues with turning left. And by issues, I mean, he is INCAPABLE of doing it. Every morning, when we head downstairs to go outside, instead of taking an immediate left at the bottom of the staircase, which is roughly 8 feet from the back door, Tater sprints through the hall, the living room and then the dining room to then exit from the kitchen. I'd stay he more than quadruples his footage. Sometimes I try to stop him when we get the the bottom and shove him into the kitchen. This completely disorients the poor fellow, and he honestly is confused as to how to get to the back door. Generally he turns a few right circles and figures it out, but every so often he gives up and sprints out of the kitchen to make his usual lap. One day, perhaps he will figure out how to become an ambiturner, but until then, he remains an idiot.

Time

Because I LOVE Summer so much, especially the pool, I felt this was a great time to do a "then & now" type comparison. One year ago, Brock could only sit, and perhaps crawl a bit (but Prairie Village pool is a bit rough on the knees) while he longingly watched the other little children walk around and play. Now, though timid about the water at first, he can keep up with whomever he chooses. Unfortunately, 18 month-olds have a really hard time with the concept of "walk". And, he doesn't quite understand that a quick fix to burning feet on hot cement is to just step in the pool. I have no doubt he will pick up on these things by mid July. (And I thought he had a lot of hair back then...)

An Odd Topic.

Why do we not talk about, commemorate, scrapbook, reminisce, etc about funerals? I post detail upon detail, story after story, about weddings, babies, parties and various other celebrations, but never funerals. Since I have begun this blog, over 3 years ago, 3 rather significant people in my and Matt's family have passed away, as well as a few family members of close friend's. Is a funeral not a celebration? That's always been how I look at it, and I know that is how Catholic's view the ceremony. Though weddings are beautiful, joyous occasions, they don't quite have an impact on me the way that a funeral does. Perhaps that is why it needs no documentation.

In high school, I was endearingly referred to as, "the rock" when describing my emotional capabilities. Though, this generally remains true, a great eulogy can penetrate even my granite exterior. As I sit and listen to the life story of one person; their ups and downs, who they were, who loved them, I cannot help but be touched. This seems to be the only moment that everyone slows down, relaxes, and just remembers and appreciates someone for who they are. Not who they wanted to be, not who they tried to be, but who they became. I often think it should be video-recorded, so that their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on can know who began to shape them so many years before their existence. It never fails that I learn something new, and obtain a new-found respect for the deceased upon leaving their funeral. I always exit, wishing I had known them better, yet satisfied, because no matter how long or short their life, they influenced someone. I really don't think that we, as human's, have any other celebration that is as selfless, powerful and touching as a funeral.

So, in conclusion, I say rest in peace. Rest in peace to those who have passed on, and for those who have stayed behind, because you know you are loved.

Recentivities

May was quite a hectic, and activity filled month. We had graduations, birthdays, showers, outings, three weddings and a funeral. Some of them were documented in picture form, others weren't, but here's a few snip-it's from May that didn't make their own individual post:

John O'Laughlin's High School Graduation; the 6th (??) O'Laughlin to graduate from Rockhurst High School?

(By the way, I contemplated cropping this pictures, as that seemed the more logical thing to do, but a man, formally dressed, leaping over a wall...a little to funny to be left out.)

Matt and I enjoyed ourselves, while...
...Brock, not so much. Might be a few more years before he'll last through that graduation ceremony.

I also had a chance to catch up with a bunch of my KCUMB Class of 2010 doctor friends after their graduation! This was the last weekend for most of them to ever have a reason to return to Kansas City. Congrats!! Can't wait for my turn.

Lauren Frechin's wedding shower provided me an opportunity to catch up with some high school acquaintances I hadn't seen since, well, high school.

And lastly, what is the last of spring weather good for, besides outings to the park, or zoo, or dog park?
Though I love all the happiness and celebrations that May brings, I am always a little glad it's over, because that means, it's pool time. Ahh, relaxation in the sun, here I come...