Stories for Boys

It has been a while since I have written about my Benji.  Here are a few tidbits:

We have been watching a lot of Signing Time, which we borrowed from a friend.  It's great, and Benji loves it.  He's slowly getting more and more words into his vocabulary.  He's still not communicating very well, but he recognizes and repeats words, and can do the signs to many of them.  He tries to do the signs for the letters, but he's still working on getting those little fingers in the right place.

He has become really good with saying his alphabet.  He enjoys saying it at random times, starting in random places ("P" is a particular favorite), and in a high little voice.  It's pretty cute, if I do say so myself.  In fact, during a talk at church, he decided to say it quite loudly.  Pretty funny.

He recognizes a lot of animals.  He can look at a book with pictures of animals and say "horse" or "dog," but he won't do it on demand.  He'll only do it if it's when he wants to, or when we aren't 'paying attention.'  He still says "quack" when he sees pictures of ducks.  

He has his favorite words.  It's currently "pen."  But the sign for it is fingerspelling P-E-N, and his "P" sounds like "E."  So he goes around saying, "E-E-E-N."   He's also saying (and doing the sign for) "drink," which is pretty helpful.

He has decided that he wants to take naps . . . at 5:30 p.m.  And I won't let him sleep past 6pm (I'm so mean!).  He goes and goes and goes all day, then it gets quiet and I know he's fallen asleep.  We're working on it.

He love to sit in laundry baskets. I'm pretty sure most kids do, but I still find it funny . . . except when there's clean laundry in it and his feet and hands are dirty.

I know I've said it before, but this boy loves water.  He would play in it all day if I'd let him.  I took him to the Gateway water fountain a couple of weeks ago, and he just loved it.

We cut his hair last week, and it makes him look so grown up!  I love it, but it makes me sad at the same time.

We have been trying to potty-train for a few months now.  If he would tell us when he needed to go, it would be a lot more successful.  He does like to strip off his pants and diaper and just go wherever he feels like it.  Yeah, that's my favorite thing.  We have to put him in zip-up pajamas and safety-pin the zipper up at the top if we want him to keep his diaper on at night; otherwise, he's almost always naked and his bed is always wet when he wakes up.  Gah.  We can usually get him to go before his bath . . . we have to wait with him for about 10 minutes before he decides to go, and we have to wipe everything down afterward (aiming isn't the easiest thing), but it's a start.

He hates anything around his neck or on his face.  He makes a choking sound when we try to button up shirts or safety pin his pajamas or even wash his face.  It's kind-of obnoxious, but what do you do?

So that's my boy (for now). He's not always easy to deal with, but I love him so much.

She Moves In Mysterious Ways

As much as I love the pictures from the U2 concert, my blog seemed very dark.  So I felt the need to lighten it up a bit.  Hope you like it.

Here's the story of what I've been dealing with for the past couple of weeks.  For Memorial Day, we went to Logan.  It was rainy and cold most of the weekend, so not many pictures, sorry.  Wait--let me back up.  Our dryer decided to bite it the week before, so I took the boy to Logan in Allen's car, so Allen could use mine to transport a new dryer that Saturday.  I didn't realize it, but my backseat folds up to leave quite a bit of room in the back for storage/transport.  Who knew?  (I suppose I would if I actually read the owner's manual, but that's beside the point.)  Anyway, he found a pretty nice used dryer in Logan (on the KSL classifieds), so he drove up and picked it up, then spent the rest of the weekend with the family.

On Monday the 30th, we went up to the cemetery and released some balloons from John's grave.  Afterward, some of us went to see Pirates 4 (very good, btw).  We hung out for a little while, and Allen helped Dad and Dave give priesthood blessings to Mom (who was having another heart ablation that week) and to Lexy, whose labor was being induced on Monday night.  Apparently, Allen had a feeling that something else was going  to go wrong . . . I wish he would have shared that tidbit with me; I might have been more cautious.

As it is, we both got home around 5pm.  I unloaded my stuff  and Allen was trying to get everything arranged for the new dryer.  I was walking in the door when I tripped over my feet.  To anyone who knows me, that's nothing unusual--I trip all the time.  This time, the difference was that I reached back with my right arm to stop myself from falling.  Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, except for a small incident in 2007.

I thought I had blogged about this at some point, but I guess it was before I started blogging.  Well, in August 2007, Allen and I were on our way out to dinner.  We were living in Sugar House at the time, and I needed to run in to the house for something.  I got out of the car and was walking when I tripped, and I reached back with my right arm to catch myself.  Sound familiar?  Well, I dislocated it the first time that day, so instead of spending the evening at a restaurant, we spent hours in the ER at St. Mark's hospital.  Miserable.  It was truly the worst pain I have ever felt.  (Incidentally, when they were taking x-rays, they asked me if I was pregnant.  I wasn't sure, though it was possible.   I didn't really care until I got home and decided I should really find out. I took a pee test, and lo-and-behold, it was positive.  Crazy, eh?  I remember that my reaction was, "Seriously?"  Not unwelcome, just unexpected.) 

So . . . being pregnant, with a first-time dislocation, we decided to put off any surgery.  I did a lot of physical therapy, and after a while I forgot about it.  I went back to see that orthopedist after the boy was born, but I had such a terrible experience at that office, and I was feeling better, so I left and never went back.

Honestly, with passing time, I forgot I ever had a shoulder injury until Memorial Day.  After I tripped, it all came rushing back very clearly.  I thought to myself, "Oh crap--I hope I didn't dislocate my shoulder again."  I tried to move my arm, but wasn't really able to.  When I realized I had indeed dislocated again, I was pretty calm for a while, calling Sarah and Mach for assistance with Benji, texting my boss to tell her I wouldn't be in the next day, etc.  All the while, Allen was struggling with the dryer, and he was supposed to be to work at 7pm, so I was trying to figure out how I was going to get my arm back in its' joint and take care of everything else.  It wasn't pretty, and Allen was freaking out because of work, and with every moment my shoulder was growing more and more painful.  Eventually, Allen got the dryer in, called in sick and took me to the Instacare.  They decided they could do the reduction there, so Allen took the boy to Rachael's while the doctor manipulated it back into place.

Before = dislocated, after = back in place

Thankfully he gave me some morphine to make it bearable.  In the ER, they gave me Propofol and just popped it in,  This doc took 15 minutes, all the while holding my arm and moving it ever-so-slowly back into place.  I think I prefer the quick-and-dirty method, but I hope I will never have to endure another reduction.  In any case, he gave me a sling and swathe and told me to wear it until I saw an Orthopod.  All of this made working at my current job impossible, so I was off all week.

I got in to see Dr. Fukushima on Friday June 3rd (I knew him from IMC).  He discussed my options with me.  There is activity modification, pain pills, injections, physical therapy, and surgery.  We decided to get an MRI of my shoulder to aid in the decision making.  I also went in to work that day to discuss the situation with my boss.  She wanted me to wait until the fall, if I did do surgery, since we are just getting into the busy summer season.  She would support me in whatever decision I made, so I told her I'd think about it.

I had the MRI this last Wednesday, June 8th.  I knew we were doing it "with contrast" (meaning that they inject a radioopaque dye into the shoulder capsule, which helps determine if there are tears and increases the accuracy of the study).  I didn't realize that the injection would be a separate procedure, like a quick surgery though there was no anesthesia.  They positioned me and prepped and draped (with the drapes over my head . . . probably the worst part of the whole thing) and injected the dye under fluoroscopy/C-arm.  I'm glad they did it sterilly, I just wish I had been better prepared for that part of the procedure.  They did inject some lidocaine as well as the dye, so it actually made my shoulder feel better for the MRI.  That part took a good 45-50 minutes, most with my arm at my side, but some with my arm stretched overhead.  That wasn't particularly fun, but it wasn't too bad after all.

I met with Dr. Fukushima again on Friday June 10th.  First, he manipulated my arm a bit, having me bend it certain ways without help, then with his putting pressure on (stabilizing) the joint.  It made a big difference, which didn't surprise either of us.  He then went over the results of the MRI with me, and drew me a picture.  It was just a simple drawing, but it looked something like this:

He explained that I have a Bankart tear (a type of Labral tear) and a Hill-Sachs lesion.  FYI, this is an excellent overview of shoulder dislocations, and it describes things a lot better than I can.  Being a recurrent dislocator, it will be just a matter of time before it happens again.  And the other options--pain pills and injections--are just temporary.  No thanks.  Physical Therapy is a given; I'll be getting it with or without surgery, but if I do have the surgery, my chance of dislocating again is very low (less than 5%).  The surgery is an outpatient procedure, done arthroscopically through three small incisions (less than 1cm each).  The labrum is reattached to the glenoid using dissolvable screws, then he'll clean things out and tighten up the joint.

So . . . if you haven't figured it out, I decided to go forward with the surgery sooner than later.  I'm not worried about it, though I would be more worried about a recurrence if I put it off any longer.  Also, I'm only allowed so much time off per year, and I'm not sure breaking up my leave-of-absence would give me enough time to heal completely.  Sorry, boss.

Eh bien, voilà.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  I'm scheduled to go under the knife on Monday, June 20th.  Wish me luck.

Light My Way

I haven't written much lately, but I need to celebrate the new man in my life . . . Ezekiel David Nolan was born on May 31st at 6:11am, weighing in at 7 lbs 8 oz.  I heard he was 21", but I'm not sure about that.  Anyway, he is a little doll--such a sweetheart, and he definitely has a Nolan face.  This is him on his first day in the world:

 

I took Benji up to visit today.  I took some fun pictures, so here they are.  He's adorable.

Zeke with big brother Noah.  He will have a lot of patience.

So peaceful.  After nursing, he was OUT.

I love those baby faces.  So funny.

He may have a Nolan face, but that nose looks just like Noah's and Phoebe's.

I really like the way this one turned out, even if it isn't totally in focus.

What a sweet boy.  He's so tiny and calm and just adorable.  I love babies!

I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight

Last Tuesday I was GIDDY. Seriously--I could not stop smiling. Why, you ask? Because of a certain concert that I had been waiting for for well over a year.

This picture is terrible, but it was my ticket, and I couldn't get the darn camera to focus.  I was too excited to get out the door.  Yes, it is dated June 3, 2010, but my friend Bono decided to injure himself last year and postpone the entire North American leg of the tour.  Very sad, but . . . time passed and the day finally came.  So on Tuesday, I went to work and came home as per usual.  Thankfully, Allen took the night off of work so I wouldn't have to worry about the boy.  I did my hair, although it was already falling flat before I even left the house, changed into my special shirt (which no one appreciated) and left.  I decided to take the public transportation route, which may or may not have been very smart; I didn't think so at the time, but had I tried to fight parking and driving home, I would probably think differently.  Anyway, after procuring some Diet Coke, I drove to the 3300 South Trax Station and parked there.

I took a train to the downtown transfer station, which was packed.  I waited there for about 20 minutes, and after one train came by with zero room to stuff another person in, I hopped back on the train going the opposite direction.  I went one stop to wait there, and I actually got a seat on the next train going to the University.  It still took a good 30 minutes for the train to get from downtown to the University, so I arrived at about 7pm. 

Gallivan Center Transfer Station Downtown

Packed Like Sardines on Trax

So once I arrived at Rice-Eccles Stadium (a venue which probably hasn't been this busy since the Olympics in 2002), I threw away my perfectly good Diet Coke (only to purchase one smaller at twice the price 100 feet away . . . grrrrrr) and got lucky that the bag checker was an older lady who decided that my camera was okay to go in.  I was so glad. 

Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah

I texted my friend Allison a few times while there, but it was hard to send and receive messages.  She had come with her family, all in the General Admission section.  She may have been crazy, but her teenage boys love U2 as much as she does, and I have to respect that.  I'm trying to raise up Benji like that too . . . hey--it worked for me and Air Supply, right?

Anyway, The Fray (opening act) came out and played a few songs.  They sounded pretty good, and I was impressed at the piano playing.  I don't know a lot of Fray songs, but I was able to sing along to a few of them.  I actually own one of their albums, but I haven't ever listened to it all the way through.  Sad, I know. 

Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray

I ate an overpriced bbq sandwich and Coke ($10), and overpriced t-shirt ($40), and marveled at the structure/space station.  I had seen pictures of it, but it was MASSIVE.  It took up a full 1/3 of the football field, and it stands over 100 ft high.  At the center is a network of retractable screens.  It's absolutely ingenious--allowing everyone a good view of the stage. 

So after The Fray did their thing, the video screen started scrolling some facts and figures, including the current time in a lot of different cities ("What time is it in the world?").  That went on for probably an hour.   My seat was in the middle of the row, and two guys on the left of me were just talking about the numbers and the logistics of the screens and lights, etc.  Whatever.  At this point, I was kinda sad to not have anyone to talk to.  They guys on the left were engrossed in their guy-talk, and my phone wasn't receiving or sending messages very well.  Yeah, yeah.  Poor me.  BTW, it estimated the current occupancy of the stadium as 46, 490.  Insanity.

There were two seats vacant to my right, but just a few minutes before the boys came on, two very well-groomed men with styled hair and some fashion sense came and sat in them.  I thought it was pretty funny to be wedged between two regular guys in baseball caps and two gay guys in tailored shirts.  Either way, I was just hanging out.  Eventually one of the gay guys started talking to me, and that was fun.  He has seen U2 many times, and he even got to touch Bono's boot once (a "religious experience").  Good times, and super nice guys.

Well, Bono and the boys came onstage at about 9pm.  I was screaming and jumping up and down.  The closest I have ever been to being that excited about anything was when I received my mission call back in 2000, but there wasn't any jumping then.  I was like a little kid on Christmas, or like an 11-year-old girl meeting the Jonas Brothers.  Giddy.

The Edge on the Big Screen

Dusk fell fairly quickly, so I had to keep adjusting my camera settings, trying to get good pictures.  I took more than 500--I just couldn't stop.

 

It was so cool how the color schemes kept changing.

I love the effects of the smoke machines and spotlights.

Even now, looking at the pictures, I can't believe I was there.  "I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me."  Anyway, this is the set list (the songs they played in the concert, with links to the lyrics on U2.com).  The song choices were absolutely fantastic. 

Even Better Than The Real Thing
I Will Follow
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Elevation
Until The End Of The World
All I Want Is You
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Beautiful Day
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Miss Sarajevo
Zooropa
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy / Discotheque
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Scarlet
Walk On

Encore

One
Where The Streets Have No Name

Encore 2

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
With Or Without You
Moment Of Surrender

I was blown away that they played "All I Want Is You" and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"--my #2 and #1 all-time favorite songs (respectively).  Of course they played "One" later in the show, but that was expected.  "Stay" was actually just Bono and the Edge with a guitar.  Incredible.  I recorded some of it on a video.  It didn't turn out very well, and at the end, you can totally hear me singing.  Ugh.  But of the other videos I got this audio was the best.  The rest were too darn loud (name that movie!).

More pictures:

City of Blinding Lights, with the screen fully extended

Bono being dramatic during "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"

I got quite a few close-ups of Adam, but not many of the others.  This is the best I've got.

Adam, rocking the bass

Bono, working the crowd

The Edge making The Rounds

Larry, Going Crazy on the Bongos

There's so much more, but I have got to sleep.  Here's the link to/slideshow of my Picasa album.  Enjoy.




Anyway, it was so brilliant.  They played until about 11:15 p.m.,  then it took me about an hour to get home.  What an amazing night.  I wish I had had someone to share it with, and a way to relive it over and over again . . . I guess that's why I'm up so late writing this blog.  Must.  Sleep.

Ain't Love the Sweetest Thing?

10 days.  It has been a long wait . . . well over a year with Bono's back injury.  For a while, I thought I had wasted a lot of money, but they rescheduled, and now it's only 10 days away.  I'm so excited.

I have my ticket.  Yes, ticket (singular).  When I purchased said ticket, I wanted the best seat available.    And it cost a pretty penny, so I only got one.  Yeah, that makes me a nerd. 

In celebration of 10 short days, I decided to do a top-10 list of my favorite U2 songs, and some of the best lines from them.  It's hard to narrow it down because they have so many good ones.

10.  Running To Stand Still, from "The Joshua Tree."
"Sweet the sin, bitter the taste in my mouth.
I see seven towers, but I only see one way out.
You gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice."

9.   If God Will Send His Angels, from "Pop."
"Nobody made you do it
No one put words in your mouth.
Nobody here taking orders
When love took a train heading south."

8.  With Or Without You, from "The Joshua Tree."  Actually, the version on "Rattle and Hum" is my favorite.  Bono added another verse that I just love.
"We'll shine like stars in the summer night,
We'll shine like stars in the winter light,
One heart, one hope, one love."

7.  So Cruel, from "Achtung, Baby."  I recently rediscovered this song.  I love it.
"Her heart is racing you can't keep up.
The night is bleeding like a cut
Between the horses of love and lust we are trampled underfoot."

6.  Lemon, from "Zooropa." It took a while for this song to grow on me, but now it's just cool.
"A man builds a city, with banks and cathedrals.
A man melts the sand so he can see the world outside.
A man makes a car, and builds a road to run (them) on.
A man dreams of leaving, but he always stays behind."

5.  Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, from "All That You Can't Leave Behind."  This song will always remind me of Europe; the first time I heard it, I was in a grocery store in Belgium.  It took me a minute, but once I realized it was my favorite band, I danced around in the aisle just listening to it.  I fell in love with that song there and then, even if my mission companion was totally embarrassed by me.
"I was unconscious, half asleep
The water is warm till you discover how deep...
I wasn't jumping... for me it was a fall
It's a long way down to nothing at all"."

4.  Miracle Drug, from "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." 
"Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear a voice
It's whispering
In science and in medicine
'I was a stranger
You took me in.'"

3.  One, from "Achtung, Baby."  Actually, I prefer the live, orchestral version found on the "Miss Sarajevo" single.  Hauntingly beautiful.
"Did I ask too much, more than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got.
We're one, but we're not the same.
Well, we hurt each other, then we do it again."

2.  All I Want Is You, from "Rattle and Hum."  I love the strings in this one.  It just fills my soul (and it's the story of my life).
"You say you want diamonds on a ring of gold
Your story to remain untold
Your love not to grow cold.
All the promises we break, 
from the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you."

1.  Stay (Faraway, So Close), from "Zooropa." 
"And if you look, you look through me
And when you talk, you talk at me
And when I touch you, you don't feel a thing."

 There is so much thought put into these songs, I feel like I get to know myself better through them.  Yes, I'm a total U2 nerd, and I'm so excited for the concert that I can hardly stand it.  I know most of y'all don't really care, but too bad.  It's my blog.