Physical Therapy

I've been referred to a physical therapist for my pain-in-the-butt. I went for my eval and got some direction on some things I should be doing or doing differently at home. I am happy to say that just putting those few things into practice has been very helpful in the pain-management aspect of things.

I woke up on very early on Wednesday with a charlie horse in my right calf. So, not only am I hobbling because of my pain-in-the-butt, but I am now nursing a calf muscle that feels like it was overworked.

I was excited to go to therapy today for my first "real" session this morning. I got a phone call an hour before the appointment; my therapist was home sick. Drat. As it turned out, I spent most of the day in bed not feeling well myself.

Now I am looking forward to Tuesday when I have my next (or first official) PT session. Bring on the work, lady. My butt and I can take it!

Waiting for Christmas

Remember that feeling of waiting for Christmas morning to arrive? The anticipation, the excitement, and the wonder of it all made the wait seem like forever.

That's exactly what pregnancy is like, especially the closer you get to the due date.

Going for Gold!

I've been distracted from this blog by the Olympics, sciatic pain, single motherhood (Mr. Bean has had several nights he's worked in a row) and general laziness.

If you didn't catch the final program by Evan Lysacek, the American Olympic figure skater from the Chicago-land area, I highly suggest you do! There was some trash talking done by his closest competitor, a skater from Russia. In the end, Lysacek showed him by taking it to the ice and going for gold!

I'm enjoying watching our national anthem played while Americans like Shani Davis, also from Chicago-land, Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Hannah Kearney, Seth Wescott and now Evan Lysacek, stood proud to represent America.

(I should mention that it is 11:22 pm and String Bean just got up in time to watch Lysacek's ceremony and our anthem. She's patriotic that one.)

Olympic-Mania

An actual conversation posted on Mr. Bean's Facebook wall.

Note: AB is from Norway and friends of the extended Bean family. There has been a Norway versus USA rivalry going on for years with the Bean siblings and AB. There is no Kraft Mac-n-Cheese to be found in Norway, apparently.

AB: So who do you think will win the most medals in the Olympics...? :)

Me: And so it begins.... Certainly not Norway. :)

AB: Hmmm. A bit too early to say Mandie...Perhaps we should make this interesting? I've run out of Mac and Cheese... ;)

Mr. Bean: So far it's U.S.A. 0 - Norway 0.

Mr. Bean: Correction: U.S.A. 2 - Norway 0.

Me: Another correction: U.S.A 4 - Norway 0.

AB: Just keep in mind that the population of U.S.A is about 309 million while Norway has 4.5 million.... But congrats on your 4 medals! I'm really "happy" for you! :)

Mr. Bean: Just keep in mind that Norway has about 309 million tons of snow while the U.S.A. has 4.5 million. So, yeah, I gotta say I'm feeling pretty good about the four medals so far.

Mr. Bean: Hey, Norway got a medal!

Mr. Bean: ...and so did the U.S.! 5-1 now.

Brother Bean: Not to mention that the medal came in an event the US has never medaled in before.

Waiting for Sister Bean (Who is no longer a Bean since her wedding) to chime in. AB is in Norway, so I'm going to assume she's sleeping and unable to reply to all the madness.

Another Shooting!

My parents live near Discovery Middle School where a shooting of one ninth grader by another took place last week. Today, another shooting happened within miles of their home. This time it was at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Apparently, a female professor at the university was denied tenure today and opened fire during a faculty meeting killing 3 and injuring 3 others.

It used to be (with the Colombine shooting) that parents were afraid to send their kids to high school. Then with the Virginia Tech shooting, college campuses became vulnerable. Discovery has brought the middle schools and junior high schools into the violent school category.

I really hope I never live to see an elementary school shooting by elementary school students.

Earthquake!

At 4 am, Mr. Bean and I both woke up. I only knew he was awake because I heard him gasp in response to the low rumble and shaking of our home. It was a surreal moment where I was processing what exactly was happening as I fell asleep. "Earthquake!" went through my mind, but by the time I woke up, I had dismissed the notion thinking it was all a dream. Sure enough, I heard on the news that an earthquake had indeed hit the Chicago-land area.

Mr. Bean grew up in Japan which means he has lived through his fare share of earthquakes. This also explains his gasp in the midnight hours. What we experienced was mild, but certainly brought up the appropriate fear of an impending natural disaster in his mind. He told me he considered that perhaps a snow plow had hit the building, but dismissed that after the shaking went on long enough. (I should mention we were in the middle of a large snow storm during the earthquake!)

While the earthquake we experienced in the Chicago-land area was no where near the severity of the earthquake that hit Haiti in January, it was a surprise and shock for all of us here. We just don't expect this kind of event in Chicago!

My sister lives in northern California and has been regularly experiencing earthquakes the last few months. I just had to update my facebook status to let her know she was not the only earthquake survivor in the family. My grandmother's response was, "What is it with you sisters that causes earthquakes????"

For those who are wondering, String Bean slept through the entire episode.

Diagnosis

I have mentioned my sciatic nerve pain multiple times in recent weeks. I finally have a diagnosis. Thanks to Amy's husband, Filbert, who is a chiropractor and muscle mangler galore, I have been told that the source of my pain comes from my piriformis muscle.

As I was googling the piriformis, I found it referred to as "the pain in the butt that won't go away." Lovely. As glamorous as it is, I'm really looking forward to the day that I can pick up String Bean without cringing in pain!

I gotta go. Time to heat up my heating pad and put it on my butt. Like I said, glamorous.

What I've Been Looking At

I have not been on this blog much lately because of the pain I've been experiencing. It takes longer to do everything so when I sit down, I don't always want to think about what to write.

Here are some things I have found around the web this week that have captivated me:

Tragedy strikes a middle school a few miles from my parent's house.

Kelle's birth story. This blog post is long, filled with beautiful photography, and shouldn't be read without a box of kleenex nearby. It chronicles the emotional roller coaster of having a baby and learning to accept, love, and be blessed by her birth.

My former pastor's nephew tragically passed away.

The government has your baby's DNA. That's a bit scary.

The Joys

Anyone who has ever had the joy of carrying a child knows that pregnancy is not all kicks and glowing. Today I am enjoying the joy of the sciatica pain. In addition to that I've learned I am anemic (which explains my exhaustion as of late).

It is fun, however, to watch String Bean talk to and about Ooh-Ah. "Night, night, Ooh-Ah!" and "Ooh-Ah crib," among other things are often said at our house.

I do realize, however, that my pregnancies have been so much easier than many of my friends' pregnancies. Morning sickness? Nearly non-existent. Except for the sciatica, nearly no pain at all.

It is more difficult to be pregnant when you have a toddler who insists on being carried.