Monday, February 1, 2010

Long Time No See

I know it's been a while since I last posted. Things getting busy around here and the holidays and all.. Keeps a Mama on her toes. Not to mention the crap weather... Did I mention the crap weather?? Yea.. SNOW frecking SNOW... I grew up in California, Central Valley.. It has snowed maybe once the whole time I lived there and it was flurries that never stuck! We swam from April to October.... All that has been going on around here is just running, wiping away tears and snot. My favorite Little Man Bubbie has decided HE needs to be the baby since his sister is getting all of this Mama Time (aka nursing).... So now I have been tandem nursing. It's all good, I've got enough for the both of them...

Recently I have been brainstorming.... I need a change in life.. If becoming a wife and mom of 2 in 3 years isn't change enough.. I want to do something that brings a moolah into the family coffers and would also ensure that I could stay home if I wanted to... I have a few ideas.. One really good.. Next stage, implementation... I will refer this idea as Da Biz from now on... Wish me good luck, it's a really awesome idea that is based on my Nana. I LOVE to help people and I believe this will help A LOT of people.. Make things easier for them and their family.... I REALLY HOPE this works....

What to say about Nana..... Nana is my hero and an all around awseome chick. She died when I was pregnant with Bubbie.. Besides my parents, Nana was my biggest fan and champion. She sang with big bands, raised 6 children 5 who were biologically hers.. Worked as a nurse in a hospital in Portland. She also went to Washington DC and worked during the war.. She met Papa when she was a Rosie the Riveter (ironically her first name was Rosemary). Nana was an all-around tough chick.. Her mother died when she was 5 and was abused by a wicked step monster while her father was out working trying to provide for Nana and her 6 siblings.... She survived stage 4 liver cancer, lymphedema, stage 4 bone and breast cancer, a double mastectomy with silicone implants that burst only to die at the dinner table of a massive stroke and heart attack.. It was the perfect way to go. She was all dressed up, looking good and around food. She LOVED food and LOVED to cook... She was the best cook ever.. All of my favorite moments of my childhood revolve around her.

I was there at the hospital, the only one out of 15 grandchildren when we found out about her liver cancer... I had gone up to Oregon to help take care of her (I was 15 at the time) because Papa (who is 12 years older than her) was running and taking her for all of these tests. I was never asked to come. I volunteered to go because I felt like I needed to make sure she was OK. Nana was like my second mother. I talked to her all the time. I spent most of my summers either up with her and Papa in Oregon or they came down to our house. That visit was surreal.. Nana's usual spark was dim. I KNEW something was seriously wrong with her. She was tired, not super feisty and I knew she was in pain but trying to hide it. I remember she was getting her contrast MRI of her torso/stomach area. She had had diverticulitis and had a large portion of her intestines removed to correct it. Her stomach muscles were basically gone from all of the surgeries she'd had. I could feel hard spots in her stomach.. I knew things were not good.. So, I was watching her test through a window in the door (no HIPAA issues in the early 90's) I could see all of these odd shapes that were lighting up on the screen and I knew it wasn't good.. I called my Mom back in California (she had just opened up a restaurant) and told her that her mother was dying.

I remember the priest coming and giving her her Last Rites.. I remember everyone was crying, except Nana.. She told me " I'm not ready to die. I want to stay alive long enough to see you get married and see your kids!" That was August 1991.. She died August 21,2007. By that time she had kicked liver cancer. But, the double mastectomy and subsequent exploding of her silicone implants obscured her MRI's.. Her pre-cancerous breast cells that prompted the mastectomy and reconstruction had spread to her sternum and she had breast AND bone cancer... She had MANY MANY rounds of chemo and radiation.. She had memory issues because of it. She had a hard time remembering things but she KNEW I was pregnant and having a baby. She was super excited about the name we had picked out. We were hoping for a girl and we were naming her after Nana. Nana missed out on me seeing her see my kids but I feel her sometimes.. I miss her every day.. It's amazing how I can see bits of Nana in my kids... Their eyes especially.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Popping this Cherry

Well, here I go. I am popping my blogging cherry! Life is beautiful. So I thought that was an appropriate name for my blog. Here I go!!

My about me is a minuscule representation of who I am. I was a 911 Operator for a local law enforcement for 8 years. When I was pregnant with my son my Hubby and I were in a bad car accident. So needless to say, here I am at home. I DO LOVE being home with my kids but I miss the radio traffic and kicking some PoPo Ass!! I was really good at that job. But I am working on being a good mom and wife.

It has been a wild two and a half years to put it mildly. My Hubby and I dated for a short time. We got married about 5 months after we started dating. My son was baking away when we got married. I LOVED the way we got married. We basically went on a short "vacation". We called our respective families AFTER we got married. It was the best wedding EVER! We knew we'd never be able to get my family to be able to get out on short notice and I didn't want my son to walk down the aisle with me NOR did I want to be any heavier trying to be a "blushing" bride. So Hubby and I just decided, a wedding is about the marriage and a marriage is between the two of us. IF we decided to renew our vows we just do a huge family vacation and surprise everyone with a "wedding" then.... Well my kids are FINALLY asleep. I might TRY to get a quick nap. I bet it won't happen......... Wish me LUCK!

By the way.. In this blog I will refer to my Husband as Big Daddy, my son as Bubbie and my daughter as Lil' Miss.