Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Tying up Loose Ends

Figured I'd update a few of my older posts with what has happened since.  (ie: I have nothing profound to write about.)

Back in November, I started a diet. My Dr pretty much tricked me into it.  Bastard.  But I love him.  Some weeks have been better than others but I end the year with 25 pounds lost.  Not bad at all.  My only goal for last and this coming week is to maintain.  You'd think with the stomach flu for Christmas, I would have lost something over the weekend but humbug!  I guess not.  (Did the 3 pounds of cheese I ate on Christmas Eve have anything to do with #1 not losing weight and #2 puking my guts out on Christmas?  Who knows....??)

Bianca has ADD.  It's now confirmed.  I vented and sounded off at all my frustrations in trying to figure out what was going on with her.  But I never did write about what happened next.  We see a naturopathic doctor.  It's more in line with my beliefs about medicine.  And it has helped me like western medicine never could.  Frankly the "tests" for ADD are not tests.  They are subjective checklists.  So before I allow a doctor to check off all the appropriate little boxes and then start drugging my baby with an addictive, dangerous stimulant, I wanted to be a little more scientific.  Through our Dr, we ran a test that checked things that could be affecting her neurotransmitters.  We learned that her dopamine level is severely out of balance which causes impulse control issues.  Basically, all the technical gobbelty-gook confirmed what I have been observing for years.  She is incapable of following a task through.  Her little brain is jetting in 20 directions at once.  There are herbal supplements that should bring her levels back into balance.  That, along with some dietary changes and some behavior modification (probably more on MY part than hers) should bring about improvements.  I am looking forward to starting this regimen, probably later this week.

Bianca was very excited when she got her Elf of the Shelf.  Excited, that is, until we got home with it that evening.  She was clutching the box in her hot little hands, carried him upstairs and then.....I could see her little mind at work.  Magic. Elf. Comes. To. Life.....   She deliberately hands me the box, eyes narrowed into suspicious little slits and with a slow motion wagging index finger she whispers "I don't want that thing in my room."
"Okay," I reply "I'll leave him in the hallway."
The finger wags again like a pink polished little metronome.  The eyes widen in fear.  "I don't want that thing upstairs."
"Okay...I'll bring him downstairs with me."
"I don't want him to leave his box or to come in my room or to come upstairs.  And I don't want him to hide, especially not under the table. That would be bad."
"Alrightee, you know what.....he will just stay in his box on the table, in plain sight, until you tell him you're ready for him to do anything else other than that, okaaaay?"

That finally satisfied her.  She eventually named him Elfris and stared at him in his box.  She liked him a little more when he brought her letters and gifts from Santa.  By the week before Christmas, she was crying that he had to leave with Santa on Christmas Eve.  I mean...C.R.Y.I.N.G.  Like sobbing.  I had to write a special M*F*ing letter from Santa explaining why the elf needs to leave on Christmas.  Which is, of course, because Mommy doesn't want to see his creepy little elf grimace year round he must return to the North Pole to be with his family and replenish his special Elfin magic for next season.  She was thrilled with a cute little elf girl doll Santa left to keep her company til then.  *Phew*

As for more recent posts, the health of everyone in our household (you know, all both of us) is presently maintaining.  There has been no more throwing up, projectile or otherwise.  My brochitis has passed though I feel suspiciously like another cold is coming on it's heels (expletive, expletive).  It's back to the grind for a few days before New Year's and another long weekend.  Looking forward to some time with my BFF, taking down the Christmas decorations and some (hopeful) downtime.  Then it's January and time to reassess my life.  Fun!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Merry (Day After) Christmas!

Christmas Eve was lovely.  I had the day off, spent it cooking and baking in preparation for the evening and Christmas Day.  We went to a family party at my BFF's house.  It's our tradition.  She and I have been friends for 25 years so they are like family to me.  After we came home, we left out treats for Santa and the reindeer.  Bianca saw on Max & Ruby 2 years ago that chocolate milk is Santa's favorite so we have to leave it for him.  :o)

I put a very excited little girl to bed and proceeded to complete Santa duty, filling the stockings and placing presents under the tree.  Disposed of the goodies, left her a letter from Santa.  Went to bed.  Woke up with a heinous migraine, my first in over a year, which resulted in vomiting until it passed.  Lovely.  I *thought* that was the end of the story.

Despite her horror over Elf on the Shelf, Bianca was very upset that he was leaving on Christmas Eve.  Frankly, I was relieved because that little dude is seriously creepy.  So to ease her angst, I Santa brought her a cuddly elf that she can keep all year.  It was on top of her stocking with the Santa letter and she was thrilled!!
My Mom came over and we opened gifts, had breakfast.  Bianca's ADD makes opening gifts an overwhelming experience for her.  She has to take frequent breaks and put aside several presents that she didn't open til about 7pm.  I tried to keep it smaller this year.  While I did succeed in having a smaller Christmas, that does not necessarily translate to a small Christmas.  Evidence:
Right about this time, around 1:00, I felt like a truck hit me.  I got chills, 101 fever and lost all my energy.  My last gift was....the flu.  Very not cool, Santa.  Nevermind eating dinner, I could not even cook it for my Mom and Bianca.  Fortunately, I'd made a big breakfast and prepared a couple side dishes (and the most important course....DESSERT!) the day before so at least they had something to eat while I threw up some more and whimpered like a sissy in the corner.  I am fortunate that I had a period of wellness between the migraine and the flu so we could enjoy the morning.  Ten hours of sleep, lots of tea and chicken broth later, I'm starting to feel better.  We're in the midst of a huge blizzard and I cannot imagine better timing for it.  I had already taken tomorrow off from work and am hoping for full recovery so that snowman making can commence!

I hope everyone else had a great (and healthy) holiday!!