Mom Update Again

Sorry I haven't kept up on my mommy update ... I've been super busy and having fun with my family. First of all, Mom is doing really well. She had some difficulty coming home, but now she's been home for just over a week. Her back was hurting because of blood in the spinal fluid that settled in her lower back. She says that's more painful than the actual surgery!

Now her color is coming back, she's out and about, and she's recovering well. I really want to get a picture of her "Halloween" scars (as she calls them) so you can see how cool she is. The staples were taken our a few days ago, so unfortunately I can't show you that. But stay tuned... I'll see what I can talk Mom into! Thanks for your support, everyone. It means a lot.

Mom, we're so proud of you. Your decision to have the surgery was a scary one, but we are so thankful you did it for you, for us, and for everyone who loves you!

Mom Update

Thanks to everyone for your love and support. Just wanted to let you know that my mom came out of surgery around 11:30 Thursday night. The surgery went well and the doctor said it was a very good thing she decided to do it because they found an aneurysm on the aneurysm - crazy. So, it's a miracle she made it this far and that she found it when she did.

Now we're all breathing a half sigh of relief that the worst is over. Now she's in recovery and doing very well. The healing process is going to be a long road for her, but she is an amazing person and such a trooper. She's scheduled to come home on the 14th. Yay!

Life

This is my cute mom. She's in a pretty hospital gown because today she went in for brain surgery to correct an aneurysm. She's known about the aneurysm for about a month and decided to get it taken care of through corrective surgery instead of "wait and see", which they gave her the option of doing. We all feel very good about her decision and we hope it gets the results she's looking for.

We began our day knowing she would be going "under" around 12:45 in the afternoon, but because of another emergency surgery the doctor couldn't see her until nearly 5:30 p.m. So most of our family hung out in the pre-op room with her laughing our brains out (oh wait, that's not funny) and enjoying each others' company. My mom has an amazing calm about her when she needs to be strong. I almost forgot why we were there because we were having so much fun.

But now she's in the O.R. and has been for about 2 and a half hours. It's amazing what happens to your heart and soul when someone you love is involved in something so ... what's the word? So... scary. I love her so much and I feel so blessed to have her in my life that I can't imagine life without her. Thoughts like that are creeping in right now and I'm scared. Waiting sucks. Keep us in your prayers.

NY Quickie

Since we were stuck in New York City for a day after getting bumped from our flight, we decided to make the best of it. I love New York. There's so much to see and do and EAT, that we just wandered the city and had a blast. Here are some highlights:
1-Having the concierge at the hotel ask us if we were on our honeymoon (we must have looked very giddy and in love), and then seeing my baby bump and laughing hysterically while telling her friend, "I think they're a little farther along than that!"
2-Washing our clothes in the bathtub so we'd have something fresh to wear in the morning!
3-Times Square (and doing my makeup at Sephora because our luggage was sent to SLC)

-Rockefeller Plaza and Magnolia Bakery (OH MY GOSH MY FAVORITE!!)
-A really cool park in China Town
-Lunch/Dinner in Little Italy (mmm... gelato)

-Sitting in the airport (again) waiting to get on the flight and (phew) finally making it. (we got bored and started taking pictures of each other)

Being 7 months pregnant and running around a fast-paced city is not something I would normally recommend (I have permanently swollen feet now), but it was definitely worth it. Yay for being spontaneous!

Lemons into Lemonade

Do you ever feel like you are in the right place at the right time and you met people you were supposed to meet for some strange reason? We had an experience like that a couple of weekends ago. (Yeah, I'm behind... I know!)

On our way home from a super weekend in North Carolina (stay tuned for that post), we had a layover in New York City (one of the "perks" of flying standby on JetBlue). Unfortunately (we thought) the flight from JFK to SLC was packed. No luck.

While waiting to find out if we made the flight, we met these girls who were in the same situation. They had been in New York for the weekend and were trying to get back as well.
Soon we began talking and weighing our options - catch a flight to Vegas in a few minutes and hope to get on the Vegas-SLC flight in the morning, or stay the night in NYC. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, or maybe it was because I was extremely exhausted, but it was great to have some new "friends" to talk to for a bit. Maybe they felt the same way, because we all decided we'd rather be stuck in NY than Vegas, booked rooms at the same hotel, and traveled together through Jamaica, NY (not the best part of town) to the hotel. STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!

We didn't see them at all during the day, but it was fun to find them again at the gate for the next flight. They were so fun to talk to and get to know. Who knows if they'll even check this post, but I wanted to give them a shout out and thank them for being so great. It was fun to meet them and laugh together about having no luggage or toiletries, just what was in our carry-ons.

Well, Kathleen, Kaitlin, Molly, and Rachel (sorry about spelling), here's to an extra day in New York! Maybe we'll see you again on another layover! :)

Long Week

This has been a VERY long week. Emotionally, financially, physically, socially... all around just long. Yesterday Jon and I were feeling the effects of such a long week, and in a matter of minutes we had decided to throw it all to the wind and move to Tonga. We fantasized about selling all our worldly possessions, telling our bosses to shove it, and saying goodbye to family and friends (don't worry, we'd cry a lot... for a minute or two!).

It would be wonderful to live where the people are so generous and kind, where we could weigh 300 lbs and no one would care, and where grass huts are pretty much standard. Plus I've always wanted to learn how to make flower leis and dance with my hips (I'm not so coordinated). And, there would never be snow. Hallelujah.

So I was ready to price out grass huts and plane tickets when Jon shot down my idea:

"What about the baby?"

Oh, yeah.

Bonnie Needs...

This is a little "challenge" I got from my sister Connie. Hers was hilarious, so I thought I'd try it. All you do is google "YOUR NAME needs" and post the top ten answers. So, here's what I need:
1. Bonnie needs an mp3 player (actually true! Mine is in an airport somewhere)
2. Bonnie needs back surgery (this is a story about an abused german shepherd...)
3. Bonnie needs to do some soul-searching about the sacrifices she's willing to make...
4. Bonnie needs to pee (also true most of the time!)
5. Bonnie needs an adoptive family (also about a DOG!)
6. Bonnie needs a Wii (hmmm... not a bad idea)
7. Bonnie needs a battery
8. Bonnie needs to eat (yes, yes I do)
9. Baby Bonnie needs a forever home (yet another dog entry)
10. Bonnie needs sleep. (Oh yes, so true)

Kinda creepy how true some were... apparently I have the name of some needy dogs, though. Thanks mom and dad.

So, what do YOU need?