Cardio Visit

Went to my follow-up visit with the cardiologist today. She told me my heart muscle is strong and working fine, I have a minor mitrovalve prolapse, and occasional sinus tachycardia. She said no medicine was necessary at this time, and that the sinus tachycardia (racing heart) would most likely go away after having the baby and was probably due mostly in part to hormones. Well...knowing this pregnancy so far, it wouldn't surprise me. So I will wait it out. I only have about 11 more weeks anyway (always say it in "weeks"...sounds shorter than months!).

Things I will miss about the Mojave

Here is my list of things I will miss about California, or more specifically, Fort Irwin...Mojave desert, California.


1. The way the moon is out by mid afternoon and can look larger than life itself in the clear desert sky.

2. The smell of the desert after it rains. Like no other kind of "clean" on earth.

3. Cute desert beetles...as long as they stay out of my house.

4. How you can drive the same loooong drive hundreds of times, but always notice something new or different that would previously have just blended right in with the monotonous desert scenery.

5. The wonderful women and families from church.

6. Palm trees and century trees

7. Wild chicken-birds that run around my street and yard talking to each other.

8. The coyotes that "party" at 3am behind my house.

9. Sunshine...an forever abundance of sunshine

10. Clean, clear air

11. The occasional sandstorm...the wall of darkness that creeps towards your house and then all of a sudden engulfs it in wind and sand and leaves as quickly as it comes.

12. Pools that are open 2-3 months longer each year than pools anywhere else I've lived.

13. Shorts and short sleeved shirts year round!

14. Surprise snow storms in November!

15. Apple Valley..the happiest town "up the hill".

16. The Barstow outlet mall...as frustrating as they can be, I will miss those stores!

17. The diversity in SoCal.

18. The "short" drive to San Diego...how beautiful that city is and how lovely the military beaches are there!

19. Desert flowers in the Spring...some of the most fragrant and resilient little plants I've ever seen!

20. The strange trees that line the walking paths here...I still can't figure out what they are! Pine? The sound when the wind blows through them is like a lullaby.

21. The way my daughter squeals and laughs as she plays in the...rocks. :)

22. Watching my daughter swim in her kiddie pool in the backyard in November.

23. California produce!

24. The moviestar-esque news personalities

25. Oleander bushes

....I am sure I will think of more to add to this list!

Dogs and their Hineys

Oh dogs...

Both my dogs are butt-scooting...again. They did it before and we took them in to the vet in case there were "issues". They both had to have their anal glands expressed (I'm cracking up typing that, by the way) and they seemed fine, a little sore, but fine.

Then a couple of weeks later our smallest dog, Prancer, started scooting again. Back to the vet we go..she gets squeezed again and given some antibiotics. Fine for a few days....now they're BOTH scooting AGAIN!!!!

OK seriously...the thought of dog bootie scooting around on my rugs is making me sick. Our post housing is all linoleum flooring. Not a spot of carpet in this house except for my rugs placed randomly around the floor. I don't know if I should take them back to the vet? Should I switch dog food? Can dog food make a dogs hiney itch? What is going on here? I swear...I don't know what keeps me from giving these doggies away. They cause me more stress and I get more annoyed at them on a daily basis than any other animal I've owned. But they are cute and loving and funny (at times) and it wouldn't be right to just ship them off to a pound just because they have some stuff going on under the tail.

Anyone ever had a dog do this repeatedly? Its not worms...their behinds have been squeezed recently...I guess I'll switch dog food and see if it helps. I'm at a loss?!

Changes have come

So...this past weekend could take up pages worth of blog mess, but I'll try to summarize.

Mother's Day:

4:30am - go to ER, face swollen and throat tingling

6:30am - arrive home from ER pumped full of steriods and saline

1:00pm - eat grilled hamburgers courtesy of Chef Husband

Afternoon/Evening - lots of talking, discussing, realizing, answering, changing

***********I'M MOVING TO IOWA ON THE 25TH OF MAY*************

Yes, on Sunday we decided that Colorado wasn't the place for us...YET. We miss Tate so badly and want and need him to be near us right now, I'm having a rough pregnancy (see previous posts) and need the comfort of familiar facilities and family/friends, Mike already has credits established at a college in DSM (education is his main focus once the board goes thru)...it makes so much more sense to be in Iowa for the next few years while Mike gets through his Master's degree. Colorado is still where we want to be, but the Lord made it clear to us Sunday that we weren't ready for CO. It was such an odd, spiritual, moving day.

So the worst case scenario is this: the med board doesn't go through for some reason and Mike reclasses and we stay in the military. That isn't a BAD result, by the way, just not what we would expect. In that case, I have baby Gunnar, recover, and wait for my hubby to finish his AIT for whatever his new MOS would be, then meet him wherever our new duty station would be at that time.

In either case, the Lord will take care of us. For now, the answer we got Sunday was pronounced and powerful to our spirits and hearts...that Iowa it is..."tempermanently".

Mom is flying into Vegas on the 21st and we will take the following week to drive back to Iowa, with a stop in Utah and Idaho to see my brother and sister for a day.

I have two Sundays left in this branch and I have to say I'm heartbroken to leave these women. I've never been so close to any sisters as I am here. I think my calling as Relief Society president has obviously helped me grow closer to them, but there is also something different and special about being so isolated here at our post. We have nobody but ourselves and each other to rely on and it creates a stronger bond between sisters than I've seen in any other ward or branch. I've made lifelong friends here and will miss them dearly. Thank goodness for Facebook and blogs to keep in touch!

I reminded the Lord the other night in prayer that I was putting my entire capacity of trust and faith in Him (like He didn't know) that what we are doing is right and that we will be taken care of. That things will fall into place and whatever the decision from the board, that our family will be able to be together. I felt a lot of comfort and love. It was what I needed.

Stickers and Wires and Old Folk

I had my appt today with the cardiologist in Apple Valley. Its no big deal (at least not to my knowledge), but just precautionary because during pregnancy my ticker does odd things. Anyway, we did the echocardiogram (ultrasound of heart) and the tech pointed out a slight bowing of the valve which might cause the palpitations I get. I won't know anything else until the doc takes a look at it. Then I was fitted for my holter monitor. Mattea came back in the room with me for this one so she wouldn't flip out. This kid can't leave my sight, I swear. The tech was putting the electrodes on me and Mattea started wimpering, obviously nervous that I was being hurt...or perhaps she didn't care about that at all and was just scared the same thing was going to be done to her. I told her "look! Mommy gets to wear stickers!" She just looked at me like "Do you think I'm stupid?" and then I realized stickers, to her, don't have wires coming out of them and they don't hook up to a box that goes in your pocket. I think I thoroughly confused her.

While in the waiting room in between the echo and the holter fitting, I saw through the small check-in window a man checking out behind the door to the hallway. He looked like he was stressed. I smiled at him a little and went back to helping Mattea make animal sounds. The next time I looked up he was holding his hand over his mouth and crying. I just wanted to go give him a hug. It made me realize that people are given grave diagnoses in that office. People really do walk out the door knowing they might've just been diagnosed with a life-ending condition, or that surgery is needed, or that nothing can be done. My heart broke for him. At the same time, I was filled with a reassurance that I am ok, that I am blessed, and that the trials I go through with my health are but tiny in comparison to what people like this man have to endure. I'm thankful, in a way, for the problems I've had thus far and that they've been tolerable, to an extent, and that I've been in the hands of some of the best doctors in the country in their field of specialty. This is definitely one of the reasons the Lord sent us here to this desolate and isolated area of California. To be close to these professionals who could not only care for me and my children, but my husband as well. I still look forward to leaving here, but it certainly makes it easier to bear with realizations like these.

Finally!!

I'd like to congratulate Dr. Anonymous for FINALLY completing his report for my hubby's med board process! It only took him nearly 6 weeks to complete!

Anyway, I am glad though that its done. The med board folks here on post can finally assemble the packet and say it will be ready for Mike's review/signature by the end of the week! Looks like we might know something by the end of May. What a relief to know the process is moving again!

I also got to see my Tater on webcam this morning! Its the first time I've "seen" him since the beginning of January! He looks like he's grown about a foot, he needs a haircut (doesn't he always) and his teeth look extra gappy. I say that with the most motherly love possible :) The boy will definitely be needing braces. He and my daughter "talked" for quite a while, he got to see the dogs, and then was pretty tired from staying up all night for his neurology tests this morning. He had the EKG, labs drawn, and an ECG done but had to stay awake from midnight until the testing this morning. He's done it before with the neurologist in Kansas City when we were stationed at Fort Riley, but its definitely hard for anyone to do, let alone an 11 year-old. Thank goodness for my parents being willing to take him, stay up with him and get him to his appointments. We'll see if he can make it through his baseball practice tonight!