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? 

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.

About once a week I think “I don’t think I could love Henry’s current stage any more.” And, then he goes ahead and grows into a completely new stage and I fall in love again. Toddlers man, they are exhausting but they are fantastic.

Here’s what’s new with my little guy…

We were listening to music on the Sonos the other day while Henry ran laps around the main level of our house. When he got to the Sonos speaker in the dining room, he stopped, threw his left arm out and signed “music” enthusiastically. Then, he kept right on running.

Henry is signing up a STORM. His favorite two signs remain to be “baby” and “duck” but he’s also signing please, ball, change (as in diaper change), light, shoes and dog.

We read Moo, Baa, La La La the other night and after reading the first line, “A cow says Moo…” Henry looked at me and said, “MMMOOOO!”

We spend a lot of time looking out the window each day. A couple week ago, the neighbors had some work done on their house which required climbing on the roof with a ladder. Henry stood at the window watching the man for a long time and then left for a second to grab one of his toys. He brought it to the widow and waved the toy at the man.

This changes every month, but my new favorite milestone is dancing. Henry has what we call “The Butt” down perfectly. It’s interesting to me to see what types of music he’ll dance to. So far, it seems he loves reggae. If Bob Marley comes on his Indie Kids Pandora station, he’ll usually stop what he’s doing to dance for a minute.

The biggest difference between the Wii U and the Wii is the addition of the WiiU GamePad. The GamePad does several things: acts as a television remote, works as another controller, offers another perspective on game play and allows certain games to be played without using the television screen. You can also watch Netflix and Hulu Plus using the TVii feature, video chat with your friends and browse the internet.

But, onto the games! We played NintendoLand, which is basically 12 games in one. I love bargains and that’s a lot of bang for your buck. But, the best thing about NintendoLand is that many of the games can be played with up to five players. My favorite is Luigi’s Ghost Mansion. (Tip: if you ever play with me, you’ll know I’m close to you when I start laughing hysterically.) I think our guests enjoyed Mario Chase the most, which is fun because you get to work together as a team to find Mario.

I’m Mario!

Perhaps the most exciting portion of the party was when we played SiNGParty and I serenaded my friends with my rendition of Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now.” I’m sure everyone is eager to come back over to hear me sing again. SiNGParty is better than karaoke in that the audience can get involved as the tv screen shows dance moves and lyrics to sing along with, while the GamePad shows the lyrics that the main singer can follow.

Pretend I’m wearing acid wash.

Thanks to our friends for coming over to play with us and thanks to my friends at Nintendo for providing us with this opportunity!

Disclaimer: The folks at Nintendo hosted my party and provided the Wii U console but my thoughts are my own.

Buffalo Chicken French Breads   – My friend Crist describes this as a “Duh Dinner” and it totally is. Delicious but super easy. If you’re not into buffalo chicken, you could do barbecue sauce or whatever you choose. We fed Henry something else for dinner this night.

Roasted Broccoli Carbonara – I have an addiction to roasted broccoli. I make it probably twice a week and then accidentally eat most of it before dinner. Sorry, family. This was quick and easy but definitely not light. Somehow, I was out of penne so I used shells. I’m really not sure why I even HAD shells. But, whatever, it worked. Henry did not buy that it was “just like mac and cheese!”

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika – OH MY GOODNESS. Sarah mentioned this recipe and it was fantastic. Easy and delicious. The chickpeas were a little spicy, but Henry ate them right up. The boy loves anything bean-related.

Cauliflower Steaks with Ginger-Soy Sauce – I realize that many people do not enjoy cauliflower (I’m looking at a very specific group of Southern “LADIES.” But, I love cauliflower. I made this to go with some Teriyaki Salmon that Bill made. Totally delicious and easy!

Things I Ate that Someone Else Made for Me

Breakfast Tacos! If you’re local, brunch at Podnah’s is where it’s at. We went a couple weeks ago and I ordered these fantastic breakfast tacos. Funny aside: there were two French men sitting at the table next to us. Henry was basically turned around in his high chair for most of the meal staring them down. I was horrified until one of the men said to me, “Maybe he’s interested in learning French?” Hilarious.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts – We went to Lucca, another local fave, last Friday (where Henry ate ALL the pizza) and ordered these fantastic brussels sprouts. They had super crispy proscuitto, sieved egg, crispy sage and pickled onion. Simply amazing. I hope they stay on the menu for a very, very long time.

What have you been eating lately? Anything I should know about?

• Hello! Well, that was an unintentional break.
• Henry came down with another little cold last week (babies are GERMY) and after the fourth day of a generally crabby little guy, I took him to the doctor and found out that he had his first ear infection. He’s done with his antibiotics and seems to be feeling much better. Ear infections are no joke!
• To prove to us that he was feeling much better, Henry ate almost an entire child’s size pizza at a local Italian place on Friday night. Here’s a photo of his face when I tried to take the pizza away.

• I signed up for a sewing class! It begins next month and I am very excited. My mom gave me a sewing machine ages ago and I don’t know that I’ve ever even turned it on. I’m looking forward to learning how to use it.
• Without going into too many details, we’ve recently learned that we have some…critters in/around our house. Tomorrow they’re all getting evicted which hopefully means I’ll stop this nervous itching.
• I’m not really sure what to make of this Google Reader nonsense. They already took my beloved Wave from me. What more do you want from me Google? WHAT. Anyway, I’m trying out both Feedly and Bloglovin.(Follow my blog with Bloglovin) . Any other services I should try?
• That’s it for now. Anything new with you?

We all know and love Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess, right? Jenny’s book, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, came out in paperback this week and while I read it on my Kindle over the holidays I jumped at the chance to re-read and review it because it is PEE YOUR PANTS FUNNY.

I love supporting bloggers when they publish books but am often disappointed to learn that the books they publish are just regurgitations of previously published blog posts. But! That is not the case with Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.

This book is hilarious, but also quite touching. As a mother, I got a bit teary-eyed at Jenny’s description of her history of pregnancy loss and the birth of her daughter.

If you’re looking for a funny read, be sure to pick up this fantastic book.

Want to learn more? Check out the discussions over at BlogHer.com.

Bill is out of town and Henry woke up at 5:45. Not a huge deal as he’s typically an early riser, but I knew that it would make for a longer day. He’s been going down for his nap at 11, but he was acting pretty crabby around 10:30 so I put him down then. He only slept for 45 minutes. That’s…not enough sleep. On the bright side, Bill will be home tonight and things will go back to normal.

I thought my wallet was in the diaper bag, as it wasn’t in my purse. I discovered it wasn’t in the diaper bag when Henry and I were out at lunch. I called the two places I thought I might have lost it at and they hadn’t seen it. Commence panic! Credit cards can easily be canceled, but a lost drivers license means a trip to the DMV. With a toddler. On the bright side, I had my debit card to pay for lunch, so we did not have to wash dishes. On the even brighter side, my wallet was at home. And, on a fun note, we ran into my wedding planner at the restaurant. It was neat to introduce her to Henry.

We went to the Friends & Family Event at Powell’s (on Hawthorne, because it’s closer. Eastside FOREVER). It took me forever to parallel park and I noticed a guy in a nearby car laughing at the number of attempts it took me to get into my spot. On the bright side, we made it in and out of the store in under a half-hour and we all got some great new books.

We got caught in traffic on our way home from Powell’s, which meant a couple minutes extra in the car. Henry fell asleep right as we were turning on to our street. On the bright side, I got to hold my sleeping boy while waiting for his bottle to warm. A rare, rare thing these days.

Maybe my day wasn’t so rough after all. Maybe I just need to keep looking for the bright sides.

My boy sleeping in my arms…this doesn’t happen as often as it used to. Good way to end a rough day.

Last week, we met up with a friend and her little boy at OMSI and well…it was amazing. My dad took me to OMSI all the time when I was a little girl (way back in the day when it was up by the zoo) and I LOVED it but have always assumed that the exhibits there were for older kids. But! I was wrong.

Up on the second floor, there’s an area called the Science Playground. It’s for kids up to age 6 and there’s a person at the door to make sure that nobody breaks that rule. (An aside: one of my pet peeves about the Children’s Museum is that there are a lot of tweens who breeze through the Baby Garden area. Many of them are rude and aren’t careful about tiny crawlers and toddlers beneath them.)

Anyway, the room is HUGE and it has several different “stations.” There’s a baby area that has squishy mats and a little baby ball pit. There’s a water area complete with smocks the kids that can put on to stay (relatively) dry. There’s a kitchen/supermarket area, a big sandbox, a soft reading area and tons of other stuff. In addition, there’s a classroom in which kids can do arts & crafts. On the day we visited, there was a Valentine’s Card making station as well as a place where the kids could play with flubber.

Our friend is an OMSI member, so she was able to get us in for free. Admission is normally $12 for an adult and children 3 and under are free. We’ll for sure be getting an annual membership and I think we’ll get our money’s worth in just a few visits. If you do take your toddler to play, BE SURE to bring a change of clothes. Henry was soaked, even with the smock on.