So yeah.  Caused by a virus, she suspects (which fits with how I felt on Saturday).  Will go away on it’s own but when that is is up in the air.  Could be a week, could be longer.  The only thing that was odd was the eye tihng I had – called nystagmus – which she said isn’t typical of positional vertigo.  She ordered me a CT scan and we agreed that I’d hold onto it for now and see how the next week goes – if there’s any more weird eye movements, I’ll have it checked, otherwise we’re just going to shrug it off as a quirk.  It only happened the first night, so I’m not terribly worried.  I’d  rather avoid a CT scan, if I can.  100x’s the radiation from an xray isn’t something to shrug at.

Ultimately, we have some ways to minimize what’s going on, and I think I’ll be able to deal with it until it passes.

That being said… STUPID VIRII!!

Well, whatever it was last friday/saturday that happened with the vertigo and dizziness and nausea – it happened again this morning.  Not as bad, thankfully, but it happened so I’m going  to see the dr this afternoon.  From everything I can find and every search I can figure to make, I think I have Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (that’s a tongue twister, huh?).  It means there’s hard bits in my ear that aren’t reabsorbing as fast as they should and they’re “traveling” into places they shouldn’t be and messing me up.  That, or cancer.  I don’t think it’s an infection (though I’m hardly an ENT so maybe I’ll get lucky and it will be) because  I don’t have a fever or pain or problems hearing.

Good news is that BPPV is treatable fairly easily (positional exercises) with good success rates (80%).  Bad news is that it’s re-currant and 50% of people who have it, have a recurrence within just a few years.  Grr.

I’ll confess there’s a tiny bit of me that’s hoping it’s simple dehydration.  Not likely, but I wouldn’t be me without my wildly improbable hopes.

Ethan missed 3 of 5 days last week from a cold.  That makes for a week of crap.  Victor had his 3yr physical on friday and she said his ears looked a big red and inflamed (he’s picked up a cold on Thurs) and wrote us a script for antibiotics which was good since, later that day, he said his ears were hurting.  Friday morning I got up, walked to the bathroom as I always do, and as soon as I made it through the door I collapsed against the counter and hung on for dear life as the world shifted drastically around me.  Recovered, repeat.  The rest of the day I was tired and mildly headachy and a bit dizzy but no more world shifts.  That night I could *only* sleep on my right side, as any other position had the world spinning wildly.  Saturday I spent under a blanket, sleeping or trying to not move.  Last night I slept better and today I’m 60% back to normal.  Inner ear infection, I think.  Since it’s almost gone I’ll leave it and not bother with the dr.  I hate feeling nauseous.

We have guests coming for dinner tonight – K&A.  I need a nap.

I’ve had several requests for the pattern for my Christmas stockings I made last year, so I finally got my butt in gear and made one.  (I’ll link it soon – I’m sorting out font licensing.)
Also, Victor’s vest is finished.  If I could find turtleneck shirts he’d be wearing one, but I can’t so…

He’s just so cute!

Ethan’s will be done as soon as I tie in threads.  I can’t wait to see them both, together!

Edit: well, not together but both vests are done, w00t!

now I just need to find shirts to go underneath that, y’know, match in some manner.

This evening we moved boxes of toys from the office (quick place to store them from little eyes) to the basement where we could unload them and figure out what’s arrived and what hasn’t.  We also assembled the two unwrappables that we got this year.

For Victor:

He’s.going.to.love.it.  I can’t wait!

For Both:

(it’s a bit different than that and more sturdily built… *really* nice).

They’re both things the boys will be able to use for years and they’ll just love, so it makes us happy.  I can’t wait to see their faces.  I’m considering setting up the camera moments before we get them and then leaving it on record while they come downstairs, Christmas morning…

I know, last time I mentioned Christmas, that I was sounding miserable and dejected about it.  I must add to that that it’s easier to be in the spirit with decorations (and wheels are round!!).  This weekend we went out and picked out a smallish tree and deck’d our halls with garlands and ornaments and decorations.

Since the tree is on the small side, we had to leave out ornaments and looking at the tree and around the living room I realize how much of our decorations I’ve made myself.  I feel good about that.  My goal is to make decorations each year – enough of each type that when the boys are grown and ready to move out I’ll be able to divide the ornaments up between us and them each.  This year I finished some cross-stitch ornaments I made years ago (and never finished trimming).  They’re hanging under the tele since there’s no room on the tree.  They’re pretty, though we need to figure something else to hang them.  It’s nice that I could finish them easily since I don’t think I’ll have much time to make what I’d planned (miniature knitted mittens and stockings, strung on string like a garland).  I’m already planning on buying the supplies for next year’s ornaments (beaded ones) so that I have them before the Christmas season starts and can get an early start on them.

Ken’s recommended that I knit a stocking for the cats, this year.  I’m not sure, yet, about that.

One thing that’s nice is that I have the boys and Ken’s presents all bought.  We have a few more things to get (extended family, teachers) and we have cookies to bake for friends, but otherwise it’s simply time to enjoy the season.  I’ll try to do just that.
(ps. snow helps)

(pps. knitting the cats ball toys to keep them from eating my knittinng has backfired as they’re going after the knitted ornaments I made last year… little stinkers!)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

You’re 3years old now and, finally, as old as you’ve looked and acted for the past 6months.  It’s understandable, considering you’re huge and brilliant.  You’re 38.75″ tall and weigh exactly 35lbs (over an inch taller than 6m ago).  If you continue your growth trend (which you likely will), at 20yrs old you’ll be around 180lbs and around 6′1″.  You definitely take after my father.  You’ve got our big bones, too, which is good since big guys tend to fall hard (I speak from experience).  Thankfully you’re a generally gentle boy (excluding when you’re yanking googly eyes off christmas decorations).

This fall you discovered the joys of lady bugs and, thankfully for them, how to try and be gentle with them (with mostly success).  You’ve also discovered how fun it is to catch snow on your tongue and throw stones into streams.  Inside you’ve discovered the joys of robots and, especially, transforming ones.  For your birthday we got you a large tractor and a small, simple car/robot transformer that you tend to carry around with you.

You’re a completely adorable, grown-up sort of little boy.  Constantly you say and do things that are very mature and surprise laughs out of me.  While coming downstairs from your nap, as I hold your hand and we walk down the stairs, you calmly ask me “So, Mommy, how was your time while I nap?”  Or, like now as I write this letter, you sit across from me with the tele remote, studying it intensely, then look at me and say “I’m making sure all the buttons are there.”  This is how you talk and it’s a precious part of my every day.

You love a lot of things about life.  You love food, you love watching Mommy cook, you love investigating things, you love to help out in any way possible, you love to talk and make noise.  That last one is a bit of a trial for us since, often, you don’t care if we’re listening or not – you just have so much to say.  You also really love to count, and get up to 12 before you start skipping them and you keep going and making up numbers as long as there’s something to count.  You recognize written letters and numbers but don’t care much which is which.

For your birthday, instead of cake or cookies or pudding, ou requested jello.  You’re nothing if not your own person.  To celebrate your birthday, Mother Nature gave you 4″ of perfect, packing snow to play with.

We went outside

and played

and made a snowman (who needed some help standing up for our picture).

It was a very good day.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie.

Love, Mommy

So.  Victor’s been especially whiny and cry-y lately and it’s been really getting on my nerves and I chalked it up to his being 3 soon and being 3 is much much worse than 2.  3 year olds are downright psychotic (moreso than before).

Yeah.  No.

He’s teething!  FINALLY!  Those last molars are popping through.  One’s already 3/4ths out and he says the lower one hurts and I’m sure the ones on the otherside will be through in no time.  Now it’s just a race to see if they pop beFORE he turns 3 (Mon), and if not then beFORE his 3yr dr’s appt (Tues).  He’s been a late teether up to now, so I figured this was going to happen.  Goofy boy!