Updates - Updated

I’m on hold with the IRS right now… this must be what Tony’s job is like a good chunk of the time – goofing around on the internet while listening to terrible hold music.  Actually, I’m certain that Tony doesn’t goof around on the internet while he’s on hold; he does other work, because he’s efficient.

It’s Monday, friends, and well, I know you know how I feel.  The whole week is rolling out in front of us, taunting us with how much we need to get done, barely an end in sight.  It could be worse.  I could be on hold with Vonage or some other service provider whose customer-service representatives read from a prescribed script and cannot actually help you.  Then again, maybe that’s how it goes at the IRS phone bank, too.  In the interest of being able to abandon my train of thought at a second’s notice here, I’ll go all listical and give you some random updates about liiiiiiife:

Buster had surgery last week, and is recovering nicely.  In fact, he doesn’t seem to be bothered at all, even though he had a sizeable tumor and some muscle removed from his butt.  The vet called the tumor a “poorly differentiated sarcoma,” which is another way of saying “cancer.”  But not a type of cancer that metastasizes, thank God, so we just have to watch for re-growth in the coming years.  He has a pretty nasty scar and he’s half shaved, which makes me think of a baboon every time I look at him.  Ha.  Baboon Butt.

I have heartburn.  All the time.  Water gives me heartburn.  My 30th week of pregnancy has signaled the onset of that and other unfortunate symptoms, like swelling hands and feet and growing out of all my clothes (again).  The only comfortable position for me to sleep in is semi-reclined on the couch.  I am tired, and my muscles are constantly fatigued, regardless of my level of activity in any given day.  And you know what food sounds good to me?  NONE.  None food.  Which is not to say that I don’t eat, of course.  Sigh… ten weeks to go.



We went to the beach this past weekend and got rained out of almost all our activities.  The boys took a trip to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and Dead Man’s Cove while I napped on Friday, and Saturday we did our best to entertain the kids indoors while it poured buckets outside (after the cancellation of the day’s activities).  It must have worked, because Jamie fell asleep in Tony’s arms on Saturday evening, about 15 minutes before dinner:



Of course, even though we woke him for dinner, he and Charles refused to sleep before 9 pm.  They got to have a fire engine ride on Sunday morning and we watched the big parade before heading home. 

Foot-long, hand-dipped corn dogs, fresh maple bars from the best bakery, and candy thrown from parade vehicles: win.

We’re making one more road trip before this baby comes and after that, I am DONE travelling.  I love seeing family and friends, I love visiting different places, but being old and worn out and pregnant really makes these trips tough.  Not that they’re un-fun, just tough.  The mounds of laundry after a trip is over aren’t all that exciting, either.

Hey!  What do you know?  I was on hold for 15 minutes but then a five-minute conversation with an IRS representative who sounded like she knew what was going on totally solved our issue.  I’ll take it.

Update on Buster, 8:30 PM: He's in pain now.  I guess the meds finally wore off.  Poor Bear.