I received a letter from the surgeon that removed the endometrioma from my body back in August 2008 to let me know that she is retiring. It’s really not something I think about that often anymore, but way before I was married (in fact, Bill and I had just started dating) I went through some pretty difficult treatment to make it possible to have a baby one day.

If you weren’t around back then, I had an ultrasound on my kidneys to check on some suspected kidney stones. As I was getting dressed after the ultrasound, a nurse knocked on my door and asked that I stop getting dressed and come back to the ultrasound room as there was something they needed to take a closer look at. The technician was pretty light on the details, but there was a 6 centimeter mass on one of my ovaries. They sent the images to my doctor and told me that I’d have to wait to talk to her.

It was 4:30 on a Friday. So, that was a super fun weekend.

When I finally spoke with my doctor the next week, she reported that I had a dermoid cyst on my ovary and that it would need to be removed. I met with a surgeon to discuss my options and scheduled a surgery to remove it. The hoped for solution was a laparoscopy but the doctor prepared me for the worst – which would have been a full caesarean section to remove my entire ovary. Yikes.

Surgery day came and we learned that instead of a dermoid cyst, there were chocolate cysts all over my uterus and bowels. The doctor removed all of that and then suggested a course of medical menopause to stop any further endometrioma from growing and to protect my fertility.

That…was no walk in the park. Those who “knew” me back then knew that “Lupron Rhi” was a mess. I did not put a shirt on until I was ready to walk out the door in the morning as my hot flashes caused me to sweat profusely. I went on walks outside (in the brisk Oregon autumn) to cool off. I kept a little fan at my desk to cool me off during hot flashes. I cried at the drop of the hat and became irrationally angry just as quickly. I was not a pleasant person.

I worked with a trainer at the gym and after a weigh-in showed that I had gained weight, I cried the whole way home. My body really, really took menopause seriously. Despite the fact I had been working out like crazy, which was one good way to take care of the nasty mood I was often in, my body was gaining weight right around my hips and thighs. Just like what happens to real menopausal women.

And, then it was over. The hot flashes stopped. My moods evened out. The weight went away. Bill and I continued to date, then got engaged, bought our house and got married. And, then we decided to try to have a baby. Five years later, here we are.

Worth it. Totally worth it.

Thank you, Dr. Darm. Thank you for my perfect boy.

• Hello! Hope you had a wonderful weekend.
• We finally got some news on B’s knee on Wednesday and I’m happy to hear that it’s not as serious as we had originally thought, though he will require some surgery at the beginning of May. Until then, he has physical therapy to get some of his strength back and the swelling down.
• I’m a little fatigued from doing all the lifting – heavy and otherwise around the house and with the baby, but my reward (a girls weekend in SC!) is just around the corner. Cannot wait.
• B’s brother came over on Sunday to play with Henry and I was able to get out for a couple of hours on my own, which was a nice treat.

Stripes for the whole family.

• I’ve been going to Barre3 about 3 times a week for the past couple months and I am loving it. I’m seeing some definition in my arms and abs and can feel myself getting stronger. There’s a childcare area for Henry and he seems to enjoy the toys and the gals working there. Fun for both of us!

The brighter the shoe, the faster you go?

• Despite the nasty weather on Sunday morning, Henry and I were able to get out for a quick neighborhood run. Henry says “doggy” now, which sounds more like “GEE-DA! GEE-DA!” and it was hilarious to hear his little voice say “GEE-DA” every time we came across a dog.
• Speaking of baby language, Henry brought me this on Friday and said, “CHEE!” So. Damn. Proud.

• I’ve been sucked into the Real World: Portland. I used to watch every season of both the Real World and Road Rules religiously back when I could stay up past 8:30 p.m. When I was younger, I used to think it would be “SO COOL!” for the Real World to come here but now that I’m old and motherly, I was pretty annoyed to hear that they’d be filming here. I just don’t want them giving this place a bad name. The first episode was pretty predictable, though I felt ESPECIALLY old when they went to some club that I had never heard of (Couture? What? Where?). Anyway, I’ll be watching this season, with judgey eyes.
• Oh! I finally placed an Everlane order and I am in love. I have been looking for a good belt for a while now and ordered their High-Low belt. It arrived yesterday and it is seriously the perfect belt. I also ordered a t-shirt and am super excited for that to arrive.
• What’s new with you? 

(Listen, I know that Easter was a week ago and we’ve all moved on, but I have had a WEEK and this is really the first chance I’ve had to sit by myself and type something out. Humor me, please?)

Easter Weekend was a bit different than I had imagined, but we still had a great time. Bill injured his knee in a brutal baby gate injury and spent all of last week in a brace and on crutches (more on that later). So, we weren’t quite as…festive as I would have liked, but we got some good memories out of the weekend which is what it’s all about, right?

Henry and I kicked off the festivities by visiting with the Easter Bunny on Thursday. Sure, the mall Easter Bunny is super cheesy and a little scary looking, but it’s something that I did as a little girl and I like having the photos to compare from year to year. (Side note: last year we went to see the Easter Bunny with Nanette and her Em, and I sure missed them this year!)

Saturday morning, we met up with some friends at the Oregon Zoo for the Rabbit Romp. There was a special area for kids under 2 and despite the ridiculous number of people out and about (the weatherman forecasted a high of 72!) we were able to get into the 2nd “Waddler” hunt of the morning. Henry was armed with the super cute Sock Monkey basket my dad gave him for his very first Easter and he was ready to find some eggs! He quickly grabbed one egg, shook it (perhaps because of the shaky eggs we play with at Music Together?) then saw a bright blue slinky on the lawn. He dropped the egg, went for the slinky and it was all over.

Bill hopped on a Zoomer and took a ride back to the zoo entrance and found a comfy bench while Henry and I saw some animals with our friends. Henry got super excited about the giraffes (he furiously signed “baby” when we were looking at them), the lions (he yelled TAAAATTTT!) and the sea lions (again, he signed “baby”).

As if he knew that a large rabbit had left a basket of goodies for him, Henry rose at 6 on the nose Sunday morning. The best item in the basket? The Tiny TOMS. He carried those things around all morning. Second best thing? The paper Easter grass. I’m still finding bits of it that he stowed away for safe keeping.

Later in the morning, we went to an Egg Hunt and brunch hosted by some friends of ours (same friends we Rabbit Romped with). Henry found his first egg before the egg hunt even began and I don’t want to brag but…my kid excels at egg hunting. We found some eggs, ate some delicious food, had some mimosas and chatted lots. Henry enjoyed exploring the giant lawn and I honed my agility skills by chasing him around.  It was a good day.

Hope your Easter was just as delightful.