*cough cough*

Since Sunday, I've had a cough, and since Monday, a sore throat. I've lost my voice throughout the week. Yesterday I woke up and my ears were killing me, so I went to the doc. I figured because I'd been sick all week, it was just some chest cold or something. But this is how the appointment went:

*After waiting an hour in the exam room*

Doc: "Sorry for the wait, Mrs. R! Do you smoke / drink? How tall are you?"

All these questions had been done by the nurse, but apparently my wait was so long that she though I had grown, or developed alcoholism... which, given my frustration at waiting and if it had been available, would not have been a stretch.

Me: "I have a cough that's been going on for almost a week, and *cough, cough, hack* a sore throat."

Doc: "Well, let's look at your ears and nose and throat.... they all look normal and healthy. Do you suffer from allergies?"

Me: "Um, yes."

Doc: "What are you taking for them?"

Me: "I've given up because no med I've tried works."

Doc: "Well, you have post-nasal drip which is making your throat sore and making you cough. It's probably from allergies. I'll give you some nasal spray and a cough suppressent."

Me: "Okay, but *cough cough cough*..."

Doc: "Ooh, that sounds annoying! Come back if it doesn't get any better in a few days. Sometimes you feel worse before you get better. Nice to meet you!"

So, I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up my nasal spray (how geeky) and cough suppressent. The cough stuff didn't work, and I refuse to spray anything up my nose- when it comes to liquids, that should be a one-way street.

This morning, while feeding LB, I hacked up this green, gooey thing. I'm pretty sure that's not "normal and healthy." So I'm a little peeved that I am most definitely sick and going to have to go back there. I just hope it's a different doc this time around.

PS- This is the first time at Tripler that I've had that dismissive feeling from the doc. Made me feel like that Seinfeld episode when Elaine sees different doctors because one labeled her 'difficult' and each doc blew her off when they found out about it. Ironically, that episode was on TV later that day.

Cute little anecdotes

I was checking my facebook then realized I couldn't see LB any more. I heard some noise coming from his room, so I headed that way. When I walked it, I saw that he had managed to turn on the radio (which was already programmed to the Hawaiian channel) and was standing right in front of it, rocking side to side (his version of dancing).

*****

LB was playing with his toys and decided to bang on his new electric piano. While he banged away at the keys, he was rocking side to side, like he was dancing to his own music.

*****

TBC

Soooo close...

I know he can walk. I bet he practices in his crib when I'm not watching. He probably pulls up on the chewed-up side rail (yay teething), holds one arm out to the side, and lets go, taking one tentative step after another until he's completely crossed the mattress. Then he lowers himself down and says to himself, gee, that was fun, I think I'll show Mommy in about six months.

Tonight, he and I walked the length of the living room together. He held onto me the whole time, although when I took my hands away, he stood all by himself really well.

I guess someday soon he'll walk- whenever he's ready. :)

OUTBURST!!!!!!!

I've just about had it with this d*** PC!!! When we had a Mac, all I had to do was connect anything, and it knew what it was and how to read it. Now, this PC demands all sorts of software and drivers, and even with that, it still isn't recognizing my camcorder!!

Background: I have a Panasonic PV-GS15 MiniDV camcorder. I'm trying to connect it with my Gateway laptop with Windows XP operating system. According to the owner's manual, all I need to do is insert the CD in the drive and download ArcSoft and the USB driver. Did that. Do you know what ArcSoft is? Software for still pictures. Who buys a camcorder to take still pictures??????

So I went to the Panasonic website. It recommended that I download this other software, which I did (which took 25 minutes). But, it still would not recognize my camcorder. I thought it was a problem with the USB port, so I plugged it into the other port. Nope, still a no go.

Another recommendation on a Panasonic forum was that I needed to buy video editing software. So Hubby and I hit up BestBuy and purchased one that was reviewed well. Much to my dismay, it still didn't work.

Now, I've been trying for two hours to get my d*** PC to recognize this stupid camcorder!!! All I want is to download the video of LB's first Christmas, so I can share it with my friends and family. But it looks like they are all going to have to wait until March, but I can't for the life of me get this piece of s*** to work!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, you tech-savvy people, if you know of anything I can do to get this to work, let me know!

Suffocating

I can't really pinpoint exactly what's making me feel like I'm suffocating. There are a few things that I'm stressing about that might be making me feel like that.

LB's 1st birthday is coming up, and I'm having a party here at the house. We stupidly invited people in the wardroom, which makes, like, over 40. It's a lot, but I'm sure it will be fun. I'm just stressed out about cleaning the house and making sure we have enough food, drinks, and favors for everyone. I just stopped by Pricebusters and spent more money than I thought I would- it's all cheap, just a LOT of it!

Deployment is coming up, which actually hasn't been that big of a stress for me. I know Hubby will be out for a long time, and I know I'll have to hold down the fort here. It's just the getting ready part. I really think it's the financial stuff, having to buy so much just to live on the boat.

Plus, I'm still looking for a cheap flight to NH. I've found the lowest ever yesterday and today, so I might just go ahead and buy it. But, I don't know if we can afford it...

Okay, so maybe with all this typing I've figured out why I feel like I'm suffocating. I think it's money. This time of this year is a little nuts, with the holidays, deployments, and LB's birthday. Not to mention our credit card bill, which has gone up considerably after putting new tires on my car (desperately needed it, couldn't wait any longer) and our savings, which has stayed stagnant. I guess I just feel like we're living paycheck to paycheck and not saving at all (which really isn't entirely true, but that's what it feels like).

So I suppose from here on, I'll just have to keep our finances in check. It'll be ten times easier with Hubby out to sea. No offense to him, but we spend a lot less when he's deployed! No dates to go on, no feeding two people, no gas for two cars, etc. Although, port calls may get pricey. But I don't think they'll be going on port calls too often.

Quiet morning

For once, I'm up before LB! It's nice to check my email, take care of Puppy, take my pill, and just relax. Once he's awake, it's constantly "No" or "Get that out of your mouth", so I like this nice, early mental break.

There's no kids club at the gym on Sundays, so this is my day off from working out. Which is great because I can barely move my legs from the leg workout I did Friday. Hubby should be getting home this morning- he might stay with LB while I go to the gym, but I'm not counting on it. Tomorrow is a busy day, and he'll be getting ready for that, I'm sure.

As I sit here typing this, I'm looking around thinking about what a mess the house is. LB's birthday party is in less than two weeks, and I'd like the place to look spic 'n span. What I need to do is run to Kmart for some tupperware bins. Hubby doesn't like to have a lot of stuff, but I can't see anything we should throw out- it's just stuff, like paperwork (SO much Navy paperwork), Christmas decorations, electronics, etc. I already took down the Christmas tree, which somehow didn't fit well into the box it came in, but I managed to squish it all in there and duct tape it up. I guess during this upcoming underway, I'll try to pare down our stuff, or at least re-organize it.

Which reminds me, I need to get the guest room ready for our friend L! She's coming for the weekend of LB's birthday! I'm really excited, since I'll have an extra set of hands for the day before the party, but I also want to make sure that room is spotless.

*sigh* Maybe I need to hire a maid. :)

It's a new year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Hubby and I celebrated by going out to dinner at the Oceanarium. It's a restaurant downtown with a HUGE three story aquarium right in the middle of it. LB had a good time looking at the fish and being cute. The restaurant had a giant buffet- crab legs (YUM), chicken, lamb, mashed potatoes, seafood pasta, and loads of desserts. Ooh, I'm hungry just thinking about it... I managed to wolf down three plates of food and dessert. Yikes. So, I've made a new year's resolution, and I really want to keep it!

My plan is to lose about 20 lbs. Of course, I won't disclose my weight right now, but it's a little higher than I'd like it to be. So the plan is to eat right (aka, not three plates of food, sheesh) and work out every day... except Sunday. There's no childcare at the gym on Sundays.

Anyway, Hubby and I came home and cracked open a bottle of champagne, intending to stay up until midnight. That was pretty stupid of us, because after a few glasses, we were sleepy, and finally crashed at 10pm. Boring, I know.

But at least we're not hungover, and we can start the new year off on the right foot. Even with the deployment, I'm determined to make it a good year! I'll be going home to see my family and friends for a little bit while he's out, and once he's back, we can think about moving... again. So it'll be busy, but a fun year, I think. :)