It's not Friday....

AlPacina

@peaseblossom55 - Remind me which show you're doing right now? And are you an organizer or a performer?

@jenna8984 - Well, chicken parm is way better, so those people sounds dumb for even questioning it.

@MissKittyDanger - Your love for egg salad is hilarious.

@GoldenPenguin - You are not the worst! It's a freaking busy time of year! I feel like I haven't slowed down for weeks now..... I also love spoiling my parents. It sounds like everything you got for yours is super nice!

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My BF was talking last night about how he didn't know what to get me for Christmas. I gave him a very strong hint about what I would love, so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm getting now, haha. But now I feel like I need to find one more thing for him because otherwise he'll spend more on me than I did on him. The shopping NEVER ENDS!

The BA chicken and potato latkes turned out awesome. There was a chutney made from cubed granny smith apple, stone ground mustard, and honey that tasted incredible. I think it should be a staple in my household because it was AMAZING with chicken.

cu97tiger

@jenjen047 - Yes, definitely send Thank You cards now for gifts you've received. It will save you some phone calls/emails in a couple weeks with people wondering if you got their gift. 

FWIW, we did generic TYs for all gifts. One less picture to take, one less thing to spend money on, one less item that we slaved over that people would just throw away.

minskat30

Oh my goodness.  No it is not Friday and yes I'm praying the rest of this week goes smoothly at work because I can't handle more stress right now.  I got maybe an hour or so of sleep last night broken up into 15 minute increments more or less.  Raj was very fitful last night and still won't go pee (even with me down there manipulating things).  I think the pain meds are really throwing him for a loop, which he clearly needs...he tried to get up last night pretty much all night and was crying on and off, which just about broke my heart.  He's fighting me taking his meds too...I usually have to "force" (i.e., open his mouth and put the pill at the back of his throat) them down his throat because he won't eat them hidden in anything but he must have had a bad experience at the vet because he never ever fights me with opening his mouth.  Sigh.  I laid next to him all night and that helped calm him down right away each time at least when he tried to get up.  I will say "sleeping" on the floor in your mid 30s while pregnant next to a 120lb dog in pain who can't bear weight on his back leg and is trying to get up all night is not the same as sleeping on carpet next to his crate when he was a puppy potty training and I was considerably younger and feeling better.  We both had a rough night but I can't complain without feeling terrible for what he is going through so I'll stop my complaining there.  I'm at work but H is home today and H just told me Raj is finally sleeping so I'm glad the big guy is getting some rest now.  For the peeing thing, we are giving it until the end of the afternoon then calling the vet again.  She doesn't know why he isn't going because the epidural should have worn off by now.  On the bright side, Raj is starting to put a little weight (toe touching) on the operated leg, which is great news and I'm happy about that. 

Tonight I expect a repeat of last night but thankfully we are one day closer to the weekend.  H wants me to sleep in the bed tonight but its hard to explain to him the amount Raj was actually up last night (he'd rest for 5-10 minutes, struggle, I'd help calm him down or switch positions, rinse and repeat).  

@swazzle - What colors are you going for for your tree decorations?

@peaseblossom55 - 4 shows in one weekend sounds exhausting...I hope you manage to get some rest at least.

@jenna8984 - Good luck at the appointment!  We saw the heartbeat around week 8 and it was amazing.  We didn't hear it until week 11 (in India...when she couldn't find it at first) but that experience is amazing too.  

@beanbot2002 - I agree, you need a puppy stat.  

@cocobellaf - Good luck on Monday!  Let us know how everything goes.  9 weeks already!!! 

@cu97tiger - I'm glad the psychiatrist is going well!  I hope the medicine helps and you get some relief from the anxiety.  Hugs.

@labro - Poor Cinders puppy.    Does Cinders get ear infections all the time because of allergies?  

jenjen047

@alpacina - YAY I can't wait to make that tonight!

@cu97tiger - I know it's probably overkill but I can't help it haha

GoldenPenguin

@minskat30 - poor Raj, and poor YOU! I hope he starts to feel better soon, for both of your sakes. Give him extra loves from his NEY aunties, that will probably help.

@jenjen047 - I sent out generic thank yous prior to the wedding, and then post-wedding I sent out the thank yous we had done by our photographer. They were part of our package, so I was going to use them! I slacked on my thank yous though, and sent them out way later than I should have, but they all got out eventually! (See? Procrastinator extraordinaire, right here.)

bethsmiles

@Swazzle - You and I are on the same wavelength, I was convinced that yesterday was Thursday and today was Friday and FI had to keep reminding me that it was only Wednesday

@jenjen047 - My desire to lose weight and my love of food is pretty much the biggest struggle of my life! Also, yes send thank-you cards right away, don't wait until after the wedding.
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I have a ton of grading to get done today and I really don't want to! Grading papers is my least favorite, but final grades are due tomorrow so I really have to get this done.

Good news: Yesterday FI has invited for an interview at University of Utah for their PhD program! I'm so excited for him!

ETA: Any suggestions for a honeymoon? I'm super overwhelmed by all the options, we were thinking of going to an all-inclusive resort but looking at them, I feel like I'm paying for a lot of things we won't use.

minskat30

Also, I won't show a picture of Raj's wound because its pretty graphic but here he is resting last night in the living room with the inflatable collar I bought him ...it has a bit of open space near the chin too so he can get his head all the way down to the floor to rest).I wanted to go without a collar at night but Raj is trying to get at the stitches already and we can't have him open/infect the wound.  I think the collar was part of the reason he was so fitful last night but I was worried I would fall asleep and not feel him move towards the stitches.  This collar is way better than the usual e-collar though.  He hates that thing and panics with it on so I'm glad there was a better alternative at least. 

beachyone15

@CoCoBellaF - Yes, there is a specific kind he likes that we can never find in stores so I had to get it off Amazon. For some strange reason I can't figure out, popcorn is to him what chocolate cake is to me. To each their own I guess.

@minskat30 - I really hope Raj starts feeling better soon. You are such a good mom to sleep on the floor with him like that!

bethsmiles

@minskat30 - Poor Raj All the fast healing vibes to him!

[Deleted User]

@minskat30 Poor you, and poor Raj.  I hope tonight is much better.  

MissKittyDanger

@minskat30  poor Raj!! Healing vibes!

@AlPacina  I get it so rarely and my granny makes it like my dad did, so I get excited lmao :')

[Deleted User]

My H is bringing home a chocolate cake donut for me tonight.    I CAN'T WAIT FOR DONUT TIME.

Peaseblossom55

@alpacina I'm doing A Christmas Carol, performing in it

@jenjen047 I got general thank you cards for the shower and engagement gifts and did wedding thank you cards with a wedding picture of us so guests would have a picture. If they wanted one.  We did glossy cards from vistaprint for pretty cheap and they were fine. 

@minskat30 sending more healing vibes to raj

@bethsmiles Good luck to FI!

GoldenPenguin

@bethsmiles - I will forever recommend the resort H & I went to on our honeymoon. Tamarijn Aruba - We booked everything through their site, and got a way better deal than going through an agent/other sites. 

jenjen047

@minskat30 - Poor Raj and poor you You are the best mommy ever!! Vibes for all of you to get back to normal soon!!

@goldenpenguin @peaseblosom55 - Thanks!

@bethsmiles - Agreed about HM. I find it so overwhelming! I wish there was a website that would allow you to search by price (including airfare across locations. We want to go to the Caribbean or Mexico but we aren't picky about which island or city we go to within those options so it would be great to have a website show us all options in that region within our budget and then decide from there. I guess that's what travel agents used to do. If you haven't already, I'd check out Groupon Getaways and cheapcaribbean.com (if you want somewhere tropical).

jenna8984

@bethsmiles @jenjen047 Agents still exist and they are amazing....my mom has been a travel agent for 25 years. She's been to 98% of all inclusives in the Caribbean so she asks what type of things are important to YOU (food, beach, pool, quiet, party, etc) and she knows your best options. I'm telling you it's really helpful, otherwise you might end up at a place that has great reviews but is for partiers when you just want peace. She also gets the best rooms, since she knows which ones are above the nightclub, which ones are closest to the restaurants, etc. She has done all my friend's honeymoons, all to different places that suit their needs. She also takes care of transfers and insurance and all that so it's really simple for you to just show up and enjoy!

wink0erin

All day yesterday felt like Thursday, and last night felt like a Friday night. WTF week? At least I get to celebrate Hanukkah with BF's family tonight. Latkes. Mmmmmm. BF is cracking me up, we have spent the past month trying to decide whether to give gifts at Hanukkah or Christmas or both, and ultimately decided to do both. He texted me last night saying "You should keep an open mind about your gift" and "You're either going to love it or think it's weird" to which I responded "Why not both?" Apparently whatever it is scares his roommates dog. I have a couple ideas of what it could be. 

@jenna8984 I've also been getting bombarded with emails for planning the work Christmas party thing, it's insane. I never officially signed up to volunteer, just said I'd think about it, but I guess that got my name got on a list. These people are having weekly meetings to decide what music to play and have sent emails talking about having a slideshow. Wtf, how do they have time to do all this during work hours? 

@jenjen047 That's a good suggestion to have the number on the invite. I'll be using that whenever my time comes. I know some of my cousins probably would still write kids in (one has 5 kids... I could totally see her putting 7 of 2 guests.) 

@minskat30 Poor Raj I hope he feels better fast! 

labro

@minskat30 Poor you and poor Raj! I hope tonight is better for him! Sending you all the love and hugs!

@jenjen047 Just piling on. We sent generic thank you notes for all of our gifts. It took 6 weeks to get our wedding photos and I wanted to get my thank yous done asap because they are a pain in the behind and the earlier you get them done the happier you are! Not to say I don't love the thank yous with the photos.

@GoldenPenguin It's on! I will text you!

@bethsmiles What do you want out of your HM? Do you want to relax? Do you want an adventure? Lots of activities? Do you want something very open and unplanned or something with lots of schedules "things to do"? H and I spent our honeymoon touring southern Germany. We had a basic plan in that we had a couple spots we wanted to hit, but otherwise we pretty much winged it. I loved it! I didn't want to do your typical AI or a cruise. The weather sucked....but I will never forget how amazing our HM was. @southernpeach89 booked her HM at a Sandals resort and loved it too! They had planned on going to St. Lucia but due to unforeseen circumstances had to transfer to the Bahamas instead.

labro

@minskat30 I'm not sure if it's allergy related although the vet kind of implied that her allergies could impact her being prone to ear infections (something about bacterial balances????). Anyway, typically she gets an ear infection any time we go to the lake or she spends a long period just being wet but this one kind of came out of nowhere.

lavenderfields13

@minskat30 You are such a good mom! Poor Raj and poor you  

jenna8984

@minskat30 aaaaw hope he heals up quick. I felt so bad when I got my cat fixed and she got home and was still numb and peed on herself and just looked at me dazed like "why did you do this to me?". I felt horrible, it will get better!

bethsmiles

@labro - We're more interested in having lots to do/see as opposed to relaxing. We aren't really sit on the beach people.

@jenjen047 - Yup, that's pretty much the exact problem we having. We really needs some ways to narrow it down!

@GoldenPenguin - Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check it out!

minskat30

labro said:

@minskat30 I'm not sure if it's allergy related although the vet kind of implied that her allergies could impact her being prone to ear infections (something about bacterial balances????). Anyway, typically she gets an ear infection any time we go to the lake or she spends a long period just being wet but this one kind of came out of nowhere.

Poor Cinders, I know how uncomfortable they feel with ear infections.  Its so frustrating when they come out of no where too!  The vet has said the same thing about Raj (allergies leading to ear infections)...Raj gets ear infections all the time.  We tried to cut out wheat grains from his diet and it didn't help...the vet said to try to cut out chicken and we gave up at that point because Rajah without his chicken-a-day would be miserable.  I hope Cinders feels better soon.  

minskat30

I just got the BEST email from H.  Sorry if this is TMI but Raj finally went pee!!!  I've never been happier to hear someone went pee than I am right now.  Thank God because the vet said give him an hour or two more and if he won't go, he has to come back in.  Small victories, I'll take them!

AuroraRose41

@jenjen047 I definitely think it is a good idea to use generic ones for now. We got some nice ones from Vistaprint during a sale. Also that's strange about your cousin not remembering that conversation, but at least it's all sorted out now!

@GoldenPenguin I'm sorry work has been so stressful. I'm in a similar boat lately . 

So...I had the MRI yesterday, and a follow up visit with the doctor today to go over the MRI results. The MRI showed absolutely nothing wrong. The doctor thinks it is a nerve issue, especially since nerve issue can be genetic, and my dad is currently out of work on permanent disability with nerve damage in his shoulder and arm. I also had some nerve damage during dental injections that didn't respond to treatment and over a year later still bothers me. The doctor is prescribing some of the same treatments to me, but they haven't worked for my dad in the 1.5+ years he has been dealing with this.

I want to cry. I am trying to hold tears back now. I so wanted them to find something, even if it required surgery, because at least it would be fixable. This may never heal for me if my dad and the dental injections I had are any indication. 

[Deleted User]

@minskat30 - Good job Raj!!!!!

bethsmiles

@minskat30 - Yay Raj!

@AuroraRose41 - *hugs* I'm so sorry! I really, really hope the treatments the doctor gave you do work.

Swazzle

@minskat30 - POOR RAJ! And poor you  I hope tonight goes better and you're both able to get some rest! 

I'm terrible and only skimmed everything since I was here earlier. I'm sorry. 

I'm having a rough/scary day at work. Without saying too much (because I can't), there's a lawsuit and I spent an hour with lawyers this morning. It was really scary and stressful and my chest will be hivey for the rest of the day now  

jenjen047

@aurorarose41 - Sorry to hear about your MRI.  Hugs and vibes that it turns out better than expected.

@labro - That's a good point about having to wait for the pictures. I'm going to email my photographer and ask what her turnaround time is and if it would be possible to get even just that picture sooner. I want to have my thanks yous out ASAP. Last resort we could have a friend take that picture and use that for the card.

@goldenpenguin - Bookmarked that link! Thanks!

ETA: @jenna8984 - I've never used a travel agent. Do they add a fee on top of the cost of the trip?

[Deleted User]

@Swazzle - Thinking lots of positive thoughts for you.  Hope everything turns out OK!