and I teach English too!

Very exciting news / development ... I am going to be filling a long-term sub position in an English / Speech / Drama class starting next week until probably the end of the year. I'm really tickled about it, and feeling a bit overwhelmed too. I met the teacher yesterday and will be sitting in on his classes to "shadow" him on Monday. Tuesday is my first day officially teaching! Wahoo!

This will be a great test to see if I really do want to go back to school this summer to take English classes to finish that certificate. (I'm a little better than half way to having it. It would really help me to be more marketable if I'm certified in both.)

I'll post again on this once the ball is rolling!

**things are going well in the weight loss arena ... lost another 1.2 pounds this week--and that's with Easter dinner in there!! :)

This little piggy went to the pantry

My hormones were working against me in a horrible way yesterday. I couldn't seem to stop eating! I had a hankerin' for something (I wasn't really sure what) and apparently thought the best way to deal with it was to try to eat anything that sounded like it might be good to see if I could quell the desire to eat. Not the best strategy, particularly with the holiday weekend here ... I know there will be some Easter treats that I'll want to splurge on, but at this point I feel like I've done all the splurging I can do for the week.

It will be interesting to see how this little evening of self-sabotage plays out on the scale next Tuesday.

I get by with a little help from my friends ...

Anyone who knows me at all is well aware that I am a social creature. So, it shouldn't have taken me so long to realize that I operate best (and achieve the best results) when I am in the company of others. Therefore, I have joined Weight Watchers and got a membership at a women's only gym here in town and have been doing well attending classes and working out there this last week or so. My first weigh-in was a good one--losing 5.2 pounds. Already, I'm feeling more motivated and wanting to stick with this, knowing that I get to do it all in a social setting.

I am fully aware of my body's (in)ability to drop weight very quickly ... so, I believe that the first week will not be a regular kind of thing. I'm more a 1-2 pound per week kind of loser. Having said that, I'll take the first week's loss and just see what comes my way as I progress.

I feel dedicated to this whole process ... I want to shed my "cushiony layer" and feel fit and comfortable in my own skin again. I was doing really well when I belonged to the Y and was working out regularly and taking classes and I have decided that in order to achieve success with this, I need to get back to that.

So, here I go ....

PTA

When we moved here about two years ago, I became pretty active in the kids' school. I have been volunteering in their classrooms, teaching Spanish to basically the entire school and have been involved with the PTA. It's been rewarding (for them and me) and I've enjoyed the activities and connections I've made quite a bit. It was really exciting and very flattering to have been selected by the PTA this year to receive the Distinguished Service Award for our school at the district-wide Founders' Day dinner. And it was also flattering to have so many people (on the current board for PTA, teachers and other members) nominate me for the office of President for the next two years.

Being on the board of the PTA is definitely something I would enjoy. Leading and working with other people are strong suits for me. And, honestly, it's hard to come up with a more worthwhile way to spend my time than working to provide good opportunities and solid support for my children's education. Having said that, I also would like to land myself a paying job and I'm a bit nervous that I may be spreading myself too thin if I could find said employment. There's also the little bit that I just don't know how long we'll be here ... Tim could be promoted and transferred any ol' time and I'd feel bad to leave that office vacant.

So, when I was formally asked if I would accept the nomination for President, I kindly declined explaining that I would definitely stay involved, just not as President because I didn't want to get myself in a proverbial pickle if I were able to land solid employment or end up moving. The nominations committee and current board said they understood but occasionally asked if I would reconsider, noting that being President doesn't mean that I would be doing everything on my own. They reiterated that the entire board works to organize, lead and delegate responsibilities to various members of PTA. I said I'd keep thinking about it.

As the election neared, no one else had stepped up for the President's position. Several other women were interested in other positions on the board, but felt that with young children still at home, they would rather not undertake the larger role. Knowing that the other people who were likely to be elected onto the board are reliable and involved, I decided to go ahead with the office for President and last week it was made official.

I'm really happy with the board we'll have in place for the next two years and look forward to continuing the excellent programs that are so beneficial for my kids and all the students at their elementary school. As for the job and / or moving, I decided that I don't want to put good things on hold while I'm waiting to see what happens ... I have never been and don't want to be someone who will regret not having done something because the journey is uncertain. I prefer to forge the path and take each day as it comes. And, so I will.

Austin's pathology report

We had the follow up appointment today to hear about the biopsy report on Austin's bump. Its technical / medical name is a "pyogenic granuloma." In layman's terms, it's a giant cell (microscopically speaking) growth that tends to occur in pregnant women because these seem to be fueled by hormones. Completely harmless and not likely to recur ... basically it was a fluke that he had this in the first place. The doctor said that an inflammation (caused by plaque or bacteria) could have spurred this. Unless he develops any infection or other complication post-surgery, this should all be behind him now.

So, the news is all good. :D

And, for your viewing pleasure, this is Austin's bump 3 days before the surgery (it was bigger than this the day before he had it removed):

Austin's progress

So, I took a peek inside Austin's mouth yesterday (nearly a week after the surgery) and saw very little--in a good way. The area where he had the bump removed is healing very nicely ... coming along a lot faster than I expected. His swelling is gone and he never did develop any bruising. He has had some soreness the last few days though and I'm not really sure why. He says that his teeth are hurting in that area. We've given him some Tylenol to help with that and he says it takes the edge off. Hopefully, any tenderness will dissipate and he'll be completely back to pre-bump status soon. Our follow-up appointment (with news and information from the biopsy) is scheduled for the 12th.

bye bye bump

Austin's surgery / procedure was yesterday and went very well. Austin was quite happy with the laughing gas, requesting it for any other procedures -- i.e. cavities filled, etc. -- he might have done because he "didn't feel a thing." They did end up using anesthesia which he didn't mind, since he was already day-dreamy with the nitrous oxide. As a matter of fact, they told him they were going to put an I.V. in his arm and a few seconds later he said "you can give me the shot now ... I'm ready" and it was already done. The entire procedure --from laughing gas on the nose to me going to see him in recovery -- was only about 30 minutes.

While coming out of the sedation, he was just so cute. Groggy and drowsy, sweet and smiley ... and saying funny little things with his speech drawn out in a very endearing way. When the nurse was prompting him to open his eyes, he had two responses that I couldn't not smile about. First he said, "it's just so hard to ... you made my eyes so heavy" and then "but I'm really sleepy ... reeeaaaallllllllyyyyy ssssssllllleeeeeeeeeeppppyyyy" as he was drifting out again.

We came home and I helped him lie down on the couch. I fed him a little yogurt and gave him a Tylenol with codeine and an ice pack for his cheek. He watched some TV and rested, never napping, just resting.

That lasted for about four hours. After that, he was charged up and rearing to go. I couldn't keep him sitting down. I was practically demanding that he play video games just to keep him still for a while!! We played a few games (the Scrambled States of America was fun!) and I fed him pudding and fudgesicles.

Around bedtime he slowed down again, commenting that his mouth was sore ... and that he was coughing a lot and his chest hurt (because it's not enough to just have this going on ... he's getting a cold too -- sigh). He said it didn't hurt enough for any more Tylenol, just going to bed would help, he thought. But (and you knew that was coming, right?) around 4 a.m. he came down to my bed telling me that his mouth was hurting. When I opened my tired eyes to look at him, it was obvious (even in the dark) that his cheek was really swollen. So, Tylenol with a dose of magic and an ice pack on his cheek while he snuggled in with me seemed to do the trick because he was fast asleep in no time.

I have him home again today so that we can keep up with the ice and Tylenol to help this along a bit more. So, all things considered, it's been a pretty good day and a half. I'm glad the bump is out and he's glad that he didn't feel anything during the procedure.

We go back for the report from the lab in about a week. We're very interested to see what the bump was ... I'll be sure to post when we go back.

Austin's bump

I've been so sporadic about writing I doubt that anyone is still reading this ... but, just in case, I will blog again! (I keep meaning to get to this, but just seem to put other things ahead of it all the time, which is a shame since I find writing so enjoyable. I'll try to make it a higher priority ...)

About two weeks ago, I had sent Austin up to get ready for bed while I was washing dishes--the typical stuff: brush teeth, put on jammies, etc. He came back downstairs and said his mouth was bleeding. I figured it was a little ploy to stall the procedure, so I told him--without even turning around to look at him--to just not brush so hard and get back upstairs. But then he said something along the lines of "this is gross." So, I turned to look at him. His thumb, index finger and teeth were covered in blood. I brought him over to the sink and told him to spit, got him some water to swish around and cleared his mouth. Then I looked inside to find a growth (about the size of an eraser or a little bigger) on his lower left gum, right long his tooth line. He said it didn't hurt, just that it was bleeding. When I asked if he felt it in his mouth before, he said "no." (Be aware that Austin isn't the most orally aware kid I've ever seen ... he's eaten / swallowed one of his teeth and just recently ate a piece of shrimp with the tail on--continuing to chew it all up and swallow it when I urged him to spit it out, because "it's just crunchy, no big deal" ... YUCK!)

Long story short, I got an appointment with his dentist the next morning. They took x-rays and determined that it's got nothing to do with his teeth. No abscess (as I figured) or anything like that. Instead, the doctor said it was some sort of lesion (probably a papilloma, he said ... which by the way he didn't think was cancerous ... okay, wait ... what????!! I hadn't even had anything like that cross my mind, but now that we've said that, holy crap! Now I've got more things streaming through my thoughts. Boy, I wish I weren't such a worrier!!). He was referring us to a periodontist to have this bump removed and biopsied.

So, I called and got an appointment with the periodontist THAT DAY, just about 2 hours later ... and because of a recent change in scheduling, he'd likely even be able to do the surgery / procedure that day! (What?! Talk about divine intervention! When can you ever get an appointment that fast??) So, I took Aus to the periodontist and things were going well ... until Austin heard he'd be getting an IV -- a shot. He's so afraid of needles. He got very nervous and hid behind me nearly crying. So, the doctor suggested that we wait a week to see if maybe this will go away by itself. (That was one of the options during the visit, but Tim and I decided we'd rather have the bump out and biopsied sooner, rather than later ... especially when the doctor said there was only about a 20% chance that this could just be some fluke thing that would go away on its own.) So, against my better judgement, we made an appointment to go back to have it checked a week later to determine if it would need to be surgically removed or not.

A week later, with the bump about doubled in size, we went back to the periodontist. Austin was trying to be the eternal optimist and told the doctor he was sure it was smaller ... I disagreed and said I was sure it had grown. The doctor agreed with me. And also determined that it was something that was to big / touchy for him to do in his office and would be more comfortable if Austin would see an oral surgeon instead. So, his office made the phone call for us ... and we had an appointment THAT DAY, about 2 hours later!! (this was particularly incredible considering that I had phoned that exact same surgeon's office the day we went to the dentist / periodontist to try and get an appointment -- because the periodontist is out-of-network for our insurance -- and they didn't have an opening for an evaluation for FOUR weeks!!!!) So, we went to the oral surgeon and he described it as a different kind of lesion or something-or-other than the other two doctors had mentioned. He also thinks that Austin won't have to be asleep for the procedure as it shouldn't be any more difficult or cumbersome than having wisdom teeth extracted. Definitely novocaine in the area (after some numbing jelly on the gum, which made Austin very happy) or possibly some laughing gas.

His appointment for surgery is Tuesday (Jan. 29th) morning. He doesn't seem nervous about it and has come to grips with the notion of having a "shot". I'm glad ... and I am happy and relieved that the procedure is only 2 days away because this "bump" is now easily four times the size it was originally, only 2 weeks ago. I'll post again soon with details about how it all went.