Bi And Large

In a nutshell:

Amy lost her first tooth this weekend! Which means we got to be the tooth fairy for the first time and it was wonderful. My big kid! She lost one of the bottom ones, and I think she would definitely have lost one of the top front ones before this - they have been really loose for months - except that she broke the roots off during a fall when she was a toddler and we might end up having to get those extracted. Anyway she has lost one now, it's the tiniest thing I have ever seen, and the tooth fairy exchanged it for a dollar bill plus an Australian gold $2 coin, which will be the 'tooth rate' around here; plus a little ring and necklace for it being the first one. The tooth fairy also left a note for Iris too, since she thought Iris might be jealous, with a ring attached. Good times.

We leave tomorrow for our spring break trip to the water park, and will be gone through Saturday. We'll be only about 2 hours away but in a pleasant little family resort with a HUGE indoor water park and heaps of activities for the kids. And a spa with couple's massages. Yay for tax refunds - not to mention the whole 4 day trip will only cost about 1/3 of our refund, which is awesome. If any of you ever want to come to the North Star state and hang out with us, we should definitely go here and hang out. http://www.arrowwoodresort.com/ - cick on the photos and virtual tours and check out that water park!

Of course, being MN, we got socked with snow and sleet because "spring break" is in March, which is still winter here. It's sleeting at our place right now and supposedly Alexandria, where the resort is, should be geting up to 2 feet of snow. So yeah, glad it's all indoors! I just hope we have decent driving conditions.

And, also of course, we've all come down with mega-virus just in time to go away in the snow. Just colds I think, but really vicious colds with fevers and dizziness and bad sore throats. I am packing lots of sudafed and kid's benadryl. And tylenol. Last Thursday I had three patients come into the office sick and breathe on me during treatments, so I knew it would happen, but even so. Wish us luck!

Thanks for all the kind comments recently, you guys are the best!

Within the past 24 hours, I have:

Been forced to listen to a "no fat chicks" guy ranting on about "beached whales" (i.e., women of size; i.e., me) and how disgusting they are and how they should all be forced to eat dog food on all fours because that's funny;

Overheard a group of patients in the waiting room saying that I was such a nice technician, but wasn't it a shame that I was going to suffer terrible diseases and die so young because I obviously don't take care of myself;

Found out from a coworker that my boss campaigned hard against hiring me originally because of my size, preferring instead to hire another woman I have met who is thin and quite pleasant, but just about as dumb as they come and can't run the equipment no matter how hard she tries or how much training she has had - and it's not that difficult to do;

Picked Iris up at preschool to a chorus of toddlers shouting, "You're FAT! You have a big big tummy!"

Went down the hall to pick Amy up, and passed 2 girls who were standing next to her backpack as I went to pick it up. They were staring at me and snickering so I smiled nicely and said hello. They retorted back with, "Don't talk to us. You're gross." and ran off laughing.

OK.

I am normally really good at letting the fat comments roll right off my back. I perfeced this technique in the years I grew up around my grandmother, who fell squarely into the "but you have such a pretty face" camp. But sometimes, the universe seems extremely intent on getting the point across to me that hey, I am not skinny, and that is not approved.

I GET IT, OK???

Enough already. I am aware, thank you. I would change it if I could. You're all just going to have to live with it, same as I do.

I know, I have been so quiet and blog-neglecting! (However I must point out, everyone else is too!)

I have been sick... crazy sick. I can't stay well. I have colds, I have sinus infections, I have ear infections, I have the flu, my tonsils get all swollen and icky, then I'm back with colds again. I just can't stay well. I have NO idea what is going on, but I am SO DAMN TIRED OF BEING SICK! Someone please sell me an immune system. Maybe I need more vitamin C or something, I don't know. But I have been sick for months, and I am bone weary from it.

At work I have a very good friend, whose company makes going to work worth it, Jen. You know, everyone has someone like that at their job (or they should!) So last Thursday Jen got laid off. Which was drama, because the company is only 5 people big - - now 4 people. And it was devastating, because I miss her and now I hate going to work and she's not there, and it's no fun and it's lonely.

Beyond that, going down one tech, my work hours are crazy now. I was originally hired at about 30 hours a week. I dropped until last month I was working 15 - 20 hours a week. This week, with Jen gone? I worked every day 8 - 4:30 with no lunch break at all, and now they are talking about adding in staff meetings on our day off as well. Yay. I do not want to complain, when so many people are looking for work, but it has been a really rough transition for me and for the whole family trying to adjust to me being so full on.

In better news, the girls are OK, Pete is OK, and the snow is melting. We are hanging out for spring. It cannot come quickly enough!

It's grey and cold. The clouds are coming over and it feels like snow. It should too. Know why? Because, of course, we're waiting for another blizzard to hit. I hereby dub the 2008-2009 winter season the 'year of the blizzard.' Since we have had more this one year than all the other years we lived in the north star state combined! Crazy. The rest of the country may be enjoying their spring flowers and sunshine. We'll be shoveling out and bearing subzero temps and high winds for the next couple days. Yay.

I am bitching and moaning because I have a sinus infection and ear infection. I have been on antibiotics for 7 days now. So far, they are not helping all that much. My face still feels like I walked into a wall.

And just now, I have returned from the dentist, where I got 2 fillings and a cleaning. I haven't had fillings since I was a kid. I guess that's what happens when you go for like 6 years without seeing the dentist. (Hey, we had no dental insurance, don't shoot me!) I discovered today that I metabolize novacaine really fast. Ironic, isn't it? Why can't I metabolize chocolate ice cream really fast? There is no justice. So I had to be topped up no fewer than FOUR times, and the poor dentist had to keep going up to a stronger solution, each time the numbness would last all of like 10 minutes, and I was shaking from the adrenaline by the end of it. But we got it done. And now I am home and I can feel my jaw and teeth just fine, but my lips and cheek, especially on one side, good Lord. They droop like I have palsy. And I can't move them at all. so I am drooling all over myself and look really bloody ridiculous. So yay for that too. Given how much novocaine I had, I expect to be back to normal by about Saturday.

At least for a while I haven't been able to feel the cheek where my maxillary sinus is infected!