Freaky Friday Rants and Raves 4-7
 

Rant: spending over a hundred dollars on groceries.

Rant part two: putting all the grocery bags in the back end of my pickup then going through a car wash not thinking what I was doing.

Rant part three: driving slowly through the jet speed air blower which blows out half the wet groceries.

Rant part four and five: picking up groceries off the floor of the car wash and laying it all out to dry when I got home.

Rave: really clean and waxed groceries.

Jorr, that's the best laugh I've had all day. :-))

Rave: My travel date has arrived!! YIPPEE YI YAY!! I'm flying to London, then on to Madeira on Wed. Then on Easter Sunday I'll be attending the wedding of friends, and flying home the following Tue. I feel so lucky to be going on this trip because I very nearly cancelled for the following reason:

Rant: DH gave birth this week. Yes, you read right, my husband gave birth this week--to a bouncing, baby gall bladder!! But don't bother to congratulate us, we left the slimy little brat at the hospital. Last Sunday DH woke me in the middle of the night and said something was wrong. He was in a lot of pain and he thought it was severe indigestion. The pain was so bad I took him to the hospital. They immediately ran in EKG and found it wasn't a heart attack, but after many, many MANY hours of testing they determined it was the gall bladder. However, the pain continued to be so severe they did even more testing and they found a blockage to the pancreas so gall bladder had to come out pronto. They took him into surgery, cleared the blockage, and of course, removed the gall bladder and gall stones. By the next day DH was already eating solid foods and wanting his football magazines, so I knew he would be OK. But that was scary!!

Rant (but a funny one, in a twisted kind of way): DH's surgery was orthoscopic so he has 4 small incisions in his torso. It looks like multiple gunshot wounds. I told him he looks like he went hunting w/the VP. :-))

Rave: North Austin Medical Center. If you ever get sick in the city of Austin, I hope you're somewhere near that hospital. The staff were fantastic and they took very good care of DH.

Rave: Needless to say, if DH were seriously ill I would have canceled this trip, but he is now back on his feet, just a little slower. He's even going back to work tomorrow.

Rant: DH just started a new job in December and has no vacation time, otherwise he would be going with me. :-(

Rave: DH supports my travel habits, even though he doesn't quite share my passion for travel. :-)

Note: To a certain Fodorite, you know who you are. I will be thinking of you on Easter Sunday and hoping all goes well for you and your family.

Happy Weekend All, and Happy Easter/Passover/or anything else you celebrate!! Ciao for now, and I'll see ya when I get back.

Wow, Jorr, and I thought I was being dumb when I pulled up to the car wash and got out without putting my top on the convertible up (at least they called me back to do it).

P_M

Congrats to DH and his gall bladder.

Rave - after 5 years of 'retirement' I've been back at work full time for 3 weeks and I think it's going well.

Rant - after 3 weeks I'm not sure I'm cut out for working from home :-(

Rave - I don't have to commute and can work in my PJ's

Rave - the weather here in MA was wonderful last weekend and we spent a most of our time in the yard wearing shorts and t-shirts.

Rant - it snowed yesterday.

Rave - I love living in New England, the weather changes every hour or so :-D

Rave - DD has graduated from her college.

Rant - DS has started driving lessons and on his first lesson (never been on the road before) he was encouraged to wrap his right arm around the passenger seat while reversing!!!! The driving school didn't see this as a problem and the woman I spoke to actuall said that I could take my business somewhere else if I didn't like their training methods.

So I have! Am I unusual in that I would like my son to realise that he should keep BOTH hands on the steering wheel when the car is moving??

Backward or forward I don't think it matters - you are driving equipment that can kill somebody, you should always be in complete control!

He'll pick up bad driving habits when he's passed his test - I don't think he should be taught them from a driving instructor.

However, I think this explains why here in MA we see many drivers on the highways who drive at 65mph+ with one arm tucked behind the passenger seat (even if there's no passenger) and one hand on the wheel.

Scary

Posted early - but that's probably a good thing :-)

Rant should probably be over :-D

Ha, thanks for the laugh, Jorr!

Alya: I spent over 30 years in high performance driving and every, repeat every, high performance course I took required that the driver shift far enough in the seat that it was necessary to wrap the right arm around the front passenger seat in order to be turned enough to be able to see where you are backing.

While driving forward, it is strongly recommended to keep both hands on the wheel but that is not for normal control - it is because if you have a tire blowout or you indavertantly steer off the road, you have enough control to safely manuever the vehicle at whatever speed you are moving.

While backing, you are almost always moving at very low speed and do not need that emergency control. It is much more dangerous to not see where you are going than it is to have only one hand on the wheel in that situation. Without a significant body shift that requires the right arm to stablize, you cannot see enough of where you are going.

When I was doing traffic enforcement, it was almost an axiom that backing accidents were caused by or at least contributed to by inadequate rearward vision.

Raves:
A beautiful Tuesday and a pretty good Wednesday for my days off this week...seems to rain buckets on my days off most of the time!

Got 2nd row seats...to the Wiggles concert in Portland Easter Sunday! No, it's not exactly Bon Jovi, but DD is thrilled and that's why it's worth it. I couldn't bribe my sister enough to drag her along to this one!

Rant: New scheduling at work stinks. Lucky to get daughter in bed every night before 11pm. Put in another transfer to closer locations,but I'm sure it will be ignored like the last 2. Nobody above me willing to take the time to pull strings like my last set of bosses were.

Happy Weekend to all...thoughts and wishes to everyone who need them.Lord knows I need yours enough myself!

So funny Jorr!

Ayla-I also learned to reverse with arm around seat. 30+ years later it still works!

Rant- got to go to an arbitration tomorrow. A tenant was goofing around on her moped in a parking garage and ran into a concrete pole. I can't imagine the building owner (or us) will be found liable, but still such a hassle and waste of time for us.

Rave: I have a totally cool dog; the kind people want to steal. He's just a pound-puppy (3 years old!), but so smart and soooo eager to please. After a series of less than wonderful pets, we feel really lucky! Its a chilly night and he is asleep on my feet as I write...

Good health, good times to everyone this week!

LOL, Jorr! Well, now you have really clean fruit! :D :D

P_M, Congratulations! You and your husband must be very proud! ;) Seriously, I'm glad your DH is okay -- you both must have been frightened. Have a wonderful trip to England -- looking forward to reading all about it. Take good care! ((f)) ((f))

Rant: It's 2:12 a.m. and I am awake. Anyone who knows me will understand that that's not a good thing. ((O)) O-)

Rave: Leaving Saturday morning on a 7:00 a.m. flight to Palm Beach, Florida! Five full days with my DH! Yippie, it's in the 80's. What a welcomed feeling <i>that</i> will be -- it's been cold here all week long! :D

Minor Rant: What was I thinking when I booked a 7:00 a.m. flight? Oh yes, a very full day at the beach! Waking up at 4:00 a.m. should be a breeze after being up now, at two in the morning, no?? #-O

Beach Rants: 1) I have very white legs. 2) Wearing a bathing suit with very white legs. Oh my, not a pretty sight, lol. ((#))

Rave: My new and beautiful sunglasses should distract everyone from my very white legs! ((H))

Rave: My sons. &quot;Chalk and Cheese&quot;, my boys, the best! ((l)) ((l))

Rant: The &quot;merger of equals&quot; and the concern it causes our oldest son. Not so much the job (well, that is still a concern), but finishing the exec. education program. That would be a mess if it were discontinued mid-way through.

Rave: Spending five days with my husband. I know, I said that already. It's just the best. :-X

Alya, I will check about the arm thing when I back out of my driveway this morning. I don't think it's possible to do it with both hands on the wheel. But, as a mother of two sons, I understand your driving concerns.

Caph, How've you been? :)

Tiff, ((C))

JJ5, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Wishing everyone good health and a happy weekend!! :-d ((#)) ((f))

Rave: China tour - amazing as they will shortly eat the USA's lunch.

Rave: Back home in SMdA where beef tenderloin is about $3.00 a lb and fresh fruits and veggies are way less.

Rave: gas was $3.20 a gallon in SFO and is $2.60 (92 oct) here.

Rave: low taxes.

Rave: No one who has 1st dollar health insurance coverage knows a thing about health care: that will certainly change.

Rave: SO is going to Prague/Budapest in May and we are going to Sicily in Sept.

Rant: The US Senate/House as always.

M

Rave--Jorr's hilarious story! It got me going this morning!

Rave--Double up to $2 coupons at Albertsons...the little things make me happy.

Rave--A former student who just got his license for installing sprinkler systems &quot;practiced&quot; on my lawn. I just had to pay cost, and he did an awesome job. A great deal!

Rave--just now getting used to DST.

Rave--SIX more weeks of school!!! Woooo-hooooooooo!

klr--DS doesn't like the Wiggles anymore--big rave for me. Hope you and DD have fun. I hope also that everything is getting better for you and DD. Hang in there.

Seetheworld--here's to a great trip with your husband. I'm sure that you both will have an amazing time together. From all of your stories, I figure you'd have fun anywhere as long as you're with him.

Good thoughts and prayers to everyone who needs them. Have a great weekend, Fodorites!

P_M--Have a great trip...glad that DH is doing fine.

Jorr, LOL :-) Sounds like something I would do!

P_M, Bon Voyageeeee sweet friend. I hope you enjoy a wonderful time and safe journey!!

STW, enjoy a great trip, too!

Rave: DH is off today.

Rant: stuck my hand into a pile of fire ants hidden under a piece of edging that had toppled over and I'm allergic to the little dastards.

Rave: seeing the trees in full bloom again....the birds and the bees and the lizards in the trees. :-)

Rant: what a sluggish week--can't get to sleep at night and can't wake up in the morning. I really don't like daylight savings time in the spring though it is so nice to have the sun set later.

Rant: After a month of keeping our heat on as low a setting as possible without freezing, using the woodstove on the weekends, and using low wattage light bulbs our electric bill went UP. I can't understand it. It's like the harder we try to conserve the more our bill goes up.

Rant: After a beautiful weekend last weekend, we got about 8 inches of snow on Tuesday. Hopefully most of it will melt this weekend. It felt like Dec. all over again.

I think I could rant all day today. Just one of those days. Hmmm, a rave??? I know

Rave: Fiance going to visit his mom tomorrow and I'm staying behind to pet sit. I know to some it may sound like a rant, but when you're together as much as we are you look forward to some alone time. Just me, a bottle of wine, a dog and two guinea pigs.

Rave: All my bridesmaids have now ordered their dresses. One less thing to worry about. All that I really have left is the little details, ie. favors, reception decorations, etc.

Jorr--That is so funny! Sounds like something I would have done.

PM--glad to hear your husband is ok.

So many great raves today-and some awesomely hilarious rants...Jorr, I'm naturally a blond (but by choice a very dark brunnette) and that is absolutely something I would do....well done!

RAVE/RANT: My daughter's 2nd b-day party is this weekend (her b-day is 4/11) How time flies!

RAVE: AT 12 weeks pregnant I'm still able to run 5 miles with relative ease and can still wear my &quot;little&quot; jeans. Nice.

Rave: Construction has begun!

Rant: School budget still a big problem. Hard to fathom what town leaders are thinking when they make certain decisions.

Rave: Good news from my boss - too early to discuss but its renewed my enthusiam.

Rave: Softball season has started. I am not coaching thank goodness but still able to help out by doing administrative work like keeping the database, emailing parents etc.

JJ5 - we are thinking of you and your family. Stay strong.

P_M - I had my gallbaldder out in Feb - no fun. Got a good laugh out of the VP reference. Took me much longer to recuperate than your DH. I hope he's okay.

Alya - congratulations to your daughter.And listen to dwooden - he has proven that he knows what he talking about when it comes to driving and traffic and safety in the past.

To all ready to hit the road - have a great vacation!

Ethel - enjoy your &quot;me time&quot;

rave: it's officialy less than 30 days till ireland!

rant: job hunt continues.

rave: dinner with very special friends (birthday) tonight.

rave: my grandfather.

rant: my grandfather is dying. 85, comfortable, but ready to let go. i went to see him and say goodbye at home on tuesday and in a way it was quite peaceful. he has lived exactly the way he wished to have lived. the way we all should live, come to that. since then, all the memories (very very good) have been coming back.



jorr...great story! funny stuff!

alya...when i took drivers ed, our instructor let us get wendys before each class. i literally learned to parrellel park and three point turn while eating fast food from the drive through! um, i won't share how many accidents i've been in since, but...none of them were while i was eating or drinking from a straw! :-P

STW, you've got mail! Have a fantastic trip!

Oh my, Jorr. I'm with those who say it sounds like something they'd do. Some days I really worry about early onset alzheimers!

P_M, wow, what an experience you and your DH had! Sure makes you realize how quickly something major can happen! It must have been so terrifying at the time! But I'm very, very glad to hear it turned out well. And, as bad as it was at the time, at least your husband got the whole thing over quickly! Some people suffer gall bladder attacks off and on for years before finally getting the surgery.

Hope your trip is the absolute best! You deserve a break!

otto, you're gonna love Ireland! I'm jealous even though I just got back!

As to the DST rants...I love it but usually suffer the first week or two. This year, coming back from Ireland two days before it started made going ahead just one hour seem like a piece of cake! And I guess that qualifies as a rave!

Rave: Our flowers are blooming and it's supposed to get up to the 70's next week. Spring is here! Hooray!

Rave: Ray Davies was sensational this past Sunday! My first rock concert in over 20 years. What an odd experience being at one with an audience full of geezers! But thank God they were or I would have felt very out of place! And what a fun audience they were! Knew the lyrics to all the old songs!

Rave: Despite drinking rivers of Guinness and eating chips and other fried foods every day, I didn't gain any weight last week! Must have been all the walking!

Related Rave: When I called to make the appt for my physical, I found out my dr is out on maternity leave. My appt is in late July. I have an extra three months to get my weight down below what it was when I went last year. I feel I've been given a gift!!

Rave: Am rushing this 'cause my husband just asked if I want to go out for breakfast!

No rants!

Great weekend, everyone!

Rave
It is finally raining in the valley.

Rant
Never play leapfrog with a unicorn. :-d
:((

Rave: Jorr's boneheaded grocery move!

Rave: Going to Tortola with my best friend for a wedding!

Rant: US Airways FF miles. Argh.

Greetings all you FFR&amp;R'ers ~

Oh Jorr ~ that was one of those &quot;wish I could undue the last five minute moments&quot;

P_M ~ Bon voyage darlin! And what a scare, I am glad he is much better.

STW ~ Bon vogage to you too! And thanks for my tea, sweetie ((c))

CAPH ~ Welcome home to you as I wasn't able to post last Friday!

divingaggie ~ I think it is great you gave your former student the opportunity to earn your business! Even better that he did such a good job!

Rave ~ We are pregnant!

Rave ~ This rave is that I am not allowing myself to worry even though my doctor's office performed a blood test on me without informing me that now has them all concerned that we may not be doing well. (I am in the normal range but on the very low end of normal) I felt such resentment they perfomred this on me without consent. I do not want to spend one minute worrying. I feel that emotional health is as important the physical, so I said to myself, &quot;Self, don't fret, enjoy this blessing&quot; and that is what we have been doing. I KNOW everything will be ok. I will find out more at our first u/s next Tuesday.

Rave ~ I believe in miracles.

Rave ~ Our little Sophie ((&amp;)) will turn two this weekend, she is an angel and we are so lucky to have her. Happy Birthday Soph.

Happy weekend everyone!
((L))

Thanks Jorr and P_M for the morning giggles!

Small rant: We have a blizzard warning here this morning! AGH--my poor tulips. Kids were up early doing the 'snow day' dance but alas for them, school wasn't cancelled. Am I a bad mom for being happy?? :-)

rave: My mom's second melanoma sample came back clean, which means the cancer hadn't spread. Hallelulah!

rave: DS's high school soccer game is at home tomorrow--no traveling this weekend! The past three weekends we've been on the road for games 2 1/2 to 3 hours away.

lcuy, hurray for sweet pups everywhere. What would we do without them?

Good weekend to you all!

Tiff, we must have posted at the same time. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and you're right--don't let the blood test thing interfere with your joy--it always amazes me how many things Could go wrong with pregnancies but usually don't--I can't think of a better example of God's miracles. So happy for you!)

Tiff and Tess-great news for both of you!

Tiff-we'll have to count down our weeks together;)

Rave:Tiff's news. Oh happy day. Enjoy all the glories and excitement of this wonderful time.
Rave:celebrating pups everywhere. Thank them for the joy they give! Happy birthday, Sophie.

Tiff, a huge congrats on your wonderful news! I'm so, so happy for you! And I'll be praying very hard that all is well with the blood test. You're so right not to worry about it. To paraphrase Tess, if we worried about all that could go wrong, none of us would ever make it through a pregnancy with our sanity intact! Or through the years of raising a kid, for that matter!

And, Tess, I'm glad to hear the good news on your mom!

Rave: We appear to be among the 500 or so lucky winners in CyprusGATE (Great Alitalia Ticketing Error) sweepstakes as documented here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34783399. For those unfamiliar, the Italian airline mistakenly loaded $33 business class RT fares from Canada to Cyprus, and somebody at flyertalk.com spotted it and posted the news. It took Alitalia almost 12 hours to yank the fare, by which time a firestorm of activity had ensued. Much brouhaha. Anyway, it appears we're among the lucky winners. For now.

Rant: I've been at the computer so much watching this drama unfold over the past 48 hours that my spouse (she who is traveling to Cyprus for $180 all in) is more convinced than ever that she married down.

Rave: For better/worse, etc... :)

I am just about to leave for the airport, but I had to pop in to take a quick glance at the R&amp;R's. Thanks to all who have wished my DH well, and thanks for the bon voyages. :-)

And Tiff, YIPPEE for you!! I remember a few weeks ago when you said you were hopeful about something, now I know what it was!! Well done, I am thrilled for you.

Gotta run, the shuttle van will be here soon. I will now run frantically around the house, looking for anything I forgot to pack :-O I've already checked 12 times for my passport and plane tix, so I really should calm down. Anything else I forgot will not hinder my trip. So why am I still panicking??

I'll be home April 18. Hasta la vista, babies!!

STW and P_M: Have wonderful trips!

Ani: Yay for the little jeans! I'm still 3 pounds away from mine and my daughter is two and I'm not pregnant. Sigh.

Caph: Hmmm . . . perhaps Guinness is a diet food?

Tiff: Congratulations! Good thoughts for you and the test results!

Rave: Saw Itzhak Perlman perform with our local symphony last night. He is wonderful and our little symphony is wonderful.

Rave: Bought our airline tickets and booked our hotel for Portland, OR in June. I'm so excited to have five days away with my husband.

Rave: It quit raining and the sun is shining. I'm hoping to get some herbs and vegetables started in the house tomorrow. It's still too cold to put plants outside here.

Rave: I'm expecting a new pair of shoes in the mail today.

:)

Kureiff, oh if only Guinness WERE a diet food!

Isn't fun to be expecting a pkg? Kind of makes you feel like a kid again!

Yes, Tess, we were posting at the same time. I am very happy your Mom's melanoma came back clean. What a relief that must be!

Thank you all for your congrats and good wishes. Even though I have made this conscious choice to be strong and only think good thoughts there are those moments when a scary thought enters your head. Every time that happens I say a prayer and then think of positive moments, like with your DH CAPH.
My doc and everything I have read online states that the focus should not be on the number or level of the HCG, but instead how is rises. It should double every 48-72 hours, and so far, mine has. It just started out on the low end of normal. So that is what I hold on to, that it is rising as it should. My doc says that he has seen many healthy babies that begin with low HCG levels.
Again, had he not tested me, I would not have this knowledge, but you cannot unring a bell. Had they asked for consent I would not have given it. It is different knowing about something you can change, but I do not want knowledge of something that I have no control over, not usually.
All I know is that I am continuing to think positive! Plus allowing my DH to see me not worrying is so wonderful, and I think it makes him more confident too.

Thanks again for your good thoughts.
((L))

Raves: Jorr your story is too funny, I will retell several times this wknd for laughs!

Rave: Daughters tests on blood and liver functions all perfect and she is back at work in NYC and doing well.

Rave: Off to see son at college in an hour for the big spring meet - so lots of cheering, eating and fun

Rant: doing roadwork on my street and they just piled tons of dirt on top of all my lovely bulbs that had been peeking up along my stone wall !

Rave: Going to Sweden on business trip with hubby in May ! Never been, very excited.

Rant: new condo purchase still going thru - think it's funny I have to provide 4 photos of my little lap dog, a front, both sides, and a back view along with 4 references.....understand they don't want me suddenly showing up with 4 dogs of another breed when I said I have a lap dog so they have some proof....but find it funny (altho they probably can't legally) ask anything about us...we could be drug dealers with a rap sheet the length of my arm !

Of course, my baby has stellar references and adorable pics.

Rave: To Tess and Tiff !! Sometimes I think we were better off 'back in the day' with less tests and not knowing so much. Be happy. Tess you are right, it's the rising of the HCG....be confident and calm and just keep patting that belly.

Alya/Lucy: yup, I do the arm over the seat too, or else I can't parallel park for beans.

Caph52 I see your trip report is up and can't wait to read it

Raves: to everyone for all their good news, all those traveling like GoTravel and STW, and any Rants, will keep you in my thoughts.

Spring is here in NE aside from the errant snow flurries this week and here's to a good week for all...

Tiff, Congrats!

Tiff---CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I had a feeling that's what it was a few weeks back :) I'm so happy for you.

STW and PM--hope you have great trips!

Tiff,

You're right in being irritated about a test done without your consent. Working in the marketing end of the health care field, even I know that's a no-no. Funny how being pregnant takes away any sense of control you have...it's pretty much all in God's hands.

Before I had children, I was extremely modest and hated annual exams, etc. By the time my second child was born, though, they could have set up the delivery area in the hospital lobby and it would have been 'the more the merrier.' I couldn't believe the STRANGERS who crowded into my room right before both births--I know it's a happy time but gee! We should have sold tickets. :-) The funniest one was with my first child's birth. He ended up being a C-section (huge baby, huge head)--the regular C-section operating rooms were full that day so we trucked on down to the surgical operating rooms. Seeing a birth was out of the ordinary for those folks--there must have been 20 people in the suite all applauding when DS was born. One of my finest moments and I was looking...not my best. LOL.

Rave: my jury service was 1 day only, happy to be back at work at my computer

Mini-rant: did I say &quot;happy to be at work&quot;? Yuck!

RANT: I HATE &quot;DRESS BARN&quot;!! Picked up a couple of cute tops, and the girl at the cash register gave me a SENIOR DISCOUNT!! Oh the horror of aging! And I am not yet eligible! Only for AARP (50), not even for Elderhostel (55)!

I called Dress Barn, asked at what age the discount starts, they said actually at 55, but on Wednesdays we don't ask for IDs. Feel a bit better.

Jorr, too bad you were in the driving seat or you'd get a free wash too! Mental note for myself: put the kids in the pickup and drive through the wash.

Bon Voyage, P_M, SeeTheWorld, Gardyloo!

Get better, Mr P_M, Tess's mom!

Welcome home, MikeMo!

Happy upcoming birthday to Ani's daughter!

Otto, sending cyber-hugs your way!

Wishing good health to moms-to-be: Ani, Tiff!

Jorr--Too funny! Because of your little escapade, the 70's song &quot;Carwash&quot; is playing in my head.

PM--At least your DH didn't suffer for years...I was getting bad pains on and off for a loong time before OWJ2 forced me to go to the doctor! That laproscopic surgery is a breeze and the 'bullet holes' go away. I only have one scar that's still visible.

PM, STW, GoTravel's trips--enjoy!!

Ani, Tiff--best wishes!!!!

Otto--I went through the same thing my g'father a couple of years ago. His mind was still sharp but his 91yr. old body had had enough. This world lost a great man but I smile when I think how lucky I was to have him for so long.

Tess's mom-yay!!

Gardyloo's coup!! I tried getting that deal but didn't get as lucky as you guys!

Caph--Just want to say hello. Guess I need to go looking for your trip report :D

JJ5--Just checking in and saying hello...

Since the news on the board is about babies this week, I'll let you guys in on a secret...We're adopting!! No more thinking about it. We've taken the plunge! We have an adoption consultant working for us, we're almost done with our homestudy and hopefully within the next 6-8mo., we'll be parents of a newborn baby boy or girl! We just have to find a birthmother, so if you just so happen to know someone...hint hint, wink wink

Rave: All of our homestudy paperwork is done! Unless you've adopted, you just have no idea how many things you have to pull together; I had heard it was a lot but....I told one of my dear friends that I didn't know which is harder, being pregnant or adopting cuz both are exhausting and rewarding!!!

Rave: Great friends who check in w/you if they don't hear from you

Rant: OWJ2's disc problem continues to bother him. He had an epidural last week and it's only starting to work.

Rave: He's moving a little bit better and not sleeping on the floor anymore

Happy weekend, all!

Congratulations OWJ. I hope everything works out well for you OWJ2. Adoption is such a blessing; my sister and her fiance are/were birthparents in an open adoption. What was an incredibly difficult situation has really turned into something beautiful.

OWJ,
My sister and her DH adopted a Korean orphan infant who is now graduating from the University of Paris at age 20 and (gag) going to law school in the fall.
Some way wonderful and attractive ninos here.
Best wishes.
M

What wonderful news, OWJ! I hope it goes very smoothly and very quickly.

My brother and his ex adopted twice. The birth mother the first time was a high school girl in a nearby town. They were very involved and my ex SIL was in the room for the birth. They kept in touch with the birth mother for a while. But their son is now 9 or 10 (I'm ashamed to admit I'm not sure which!) and I don't think they've had contact recently.

Their second was a little Mexican girl whom they got when she was 6 months old. That one proved to be much more difficult in terms of red-tape, etc.

But I suspect that, for you, making the decision may have been the hardest part. You have that and much of the paper work behind you. Good luck! And keep us posted!