HAPPY DECEMBER…24 more days until Christmas!  Well to say work was a challenge today is just a mild description, man TGIF! After work I ran out to Wilson’s to pick up the last fabric I needed for Ladybug’s nursery. Afterwards Mel and I had dinner at Café Roma and Pam and Cary ended up joining us. We had not been there in months and it was good to catch up with them.

Today is Saturday December 2^nd and we had a very fun day. We got up very early 6 am for a Saturday and we were eating breakfast out by 7:15 and were at Kohl’s department store by 8:30 am. We were able to find several things Mel needed, new shoes, pants, dress shirts, luggage and a few “kidlet” videos. We then went and checked out video cameras at several stores, so far the Sony DCR-SR40 30GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam with 20x Optical Zoom seems to be our favorite. Very small and easy to use and a good zoom.

We dropped by the “baby store” to order “labybug’s crib. What a surprise they had the crib in stock and it was on a special buy for ½ price. I didn’t realize it also converts to a toddler bed, so what a bonus.  We went to lunch at the Big River Grille and then went back to the baby store to purchase the crib, mattress and 2 prints and a bunny pillow.

What a fun day, we were home by like 3 pm and watched the SEC championship game and studied luggage and video cameras on the internet. Tomorrow I begin my prep for the colonoscopy….dreading it.

Today is Monday, December 4^th and I am waiting for Mel to pick me up to take me to the doctor. During the last several months I have been scheduling those appointments that you should schedule, like mammograms, colonoscopy, and a once over by a dermatologist to check suspicious skin spots. Well today is the dreaded colonoscopy. I had one 10 years ago that was an absolute NIGHTMARE! My primary care doctor completed it in his office and had to stop midway through as I was screaming so loud the patients in the waiting room could hear me. NOTE: Normally a colonoscopy is not done in the doctor’s office, which I did not know at that time. Even though colon cancer runs in my family it probably was a bit aggressive for the doctor to do this exam on me at age 31. Normally a baseline exam is not done until age 50, but due to some issues I have had my doctor felt it necessary to order a repeat now.

The preparation was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated, I won’t share the details, but 4 pills and 8 “cocktails” of “go lightly” later it was done. It took about 4 hours in all. I have to say when you haven’t had anything but chicken broth, sprite and jello since midnight 12/3, all these food commercials are complete torture. The new Red Lobster commercial about seafood fest must have played 50 times. Needless to say I am now craving seafood. Otherwise the preparation was uneventful and much easier than anticipated.

Well it was really a piece of cake…and I am clean, nothing was found, whooohooo! Mel took me to Red Lobster for my first meal after all my “fasting”, the commercials are better than the food. However the tea really gave me a burst of energy and I was able to clean out all the drawers in “ladybugs” room and now we just need to move the furniture. I also reorganized her very full closet. Note: The week after Christmas I moved all the furniture and now her room is ready to tape off and paint.

Today is December 5^th; it really feels good knowing everything is okay. My aunt Ginny died of colon cancer at the age of 40, I was only 5 or so and I didn’t know her well. My paternal grandmother, Ginny’s mother also died of colon cancer later in life. Most of my family only goes to the doctor when something is really bad, so I don’t think any of them have been screened. It was a relief to know I am okay, and won’t need to repeat the test for 5 years. It turned out dreading the procedure and trying to get the appointment was the hardest part.

Thinking about medical history made me think about how we won’t know anything about “ladybug’s” medical history. When I think about it, it seems really overwhelming to not know. Then I think about how when you do know, it doesn’t mean a lot and maybe you worry more. It is hard to imagine not having information about your biological parents and not knowing your past, but even when you do, how much do you really know. I am sure I take for granted that I had access to my family history, but at the same time, your history doesn’t define your future. 

Today is December 8^th and we were invited to the Elan Circle Christmas party. Most years the party is just for members but in some years the husbands are invited to the Christmas party. It was a nice event with many friends from church and I was invited to join the group.

Today is December 10^th and we went to our 2^nd annual Bradney Christmas party. The food was amazing and the ornament swap was great fun. It is a nice way to celebrate the holiday season.

Today is December 16^th and it has been ONE YEAR since our DTC day.

Today is December 23^rd and our friends Kelly and Frank invited us to their annual Christmas party…we arrived hot and sweaty after trying to take our annual picture with the cats…after some 20 to 30 tries we got one. We both felt like we had wrestled the Lions…scratches, sweat and all.