The Menagerie

WNTW: the Shelley Edition

To the person who arrived at this blog by Googling "Thanksgiving trouser socks" --

No.  Just....no.  Never.

<shudder>

So it's not a great bento, CLE, or barf, but...

I would have blogged about the great bento I had for lunch, or the interesting CLE I'm listening to in the car, or maybe even the Peach's incredible barf™ (no, not spit-up) down my shirt -- and I mean DOWN MY SHIRT!  This is that type of work/life blog, after all. 

But all the day's earlier excitement paled besides what happened immediately after the incredible barf:™

We'd had quite a bit of head raising, but today was the first time she figured out how helpful her arms could be when she wants to look around. 

(Bad lighting brought to you by a mother desperate to get her daughter's circadian rhythm properly set for a high-latitude winter.)

Our little ladybug

We couldn't help but dress Eden up in her Halloween costume for a walk around the neighborhood today.  (It's not like we're going trick-or-treating, so why not?)  She also has a cute little hat to wear with the outfit (with green antennae) but it kept falling down around her eyes -- amazingly, we found something too big for her head!

I so wish I could tell the story

In short: long, crazy week.  Not representing the below (posted) client any longer.  Woke up today feeling very exhausted and very drained -- but very happy. 

Whew.

No Exit

I am in crazy client hell.  To think that about a month ago I asked a psychiatrist friend, "What exactly *is* borderline, anyway?"  I could write a book on it now. 

I'll bite

PT-LawMom started a little meme, and since I am taking a break...

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? The Peach, when she wrinkled her nose at Matthew.
2. What were you doing at 0800? Fine-tuning a marital settlement agreement
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? E-mailing my nephrologist about switching my blood pressure medications.
4. What happened to you in 2006? A lot of really bad sh*t: car totaled (and husband injured), border collie died, parents divorced, miserable first trimester of pregnancy, then loss of such pregnancy, family schism (in addition to divorce), dog with cancer requiring leg amputation, dying ferrets -- and geez louise!  That only gets me through July.  (The good, though: sister's wedding, pregnant with Eden)
5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "Do you want some dog food?  Do you, Nor?"
6. How many beverages did you have today? Hm...water, two three cups of coffee, one venti mocha frappucino (light), one diet coke, one diet dr. pepper.  I'm thinking maybe that counts as 7 or 8, because I drank water in stages. 
7. What color is your hairbrush? Gray.  Or black.  I don't pay attention. 
8. What was the last thing you paid for? the diet dr. pepper.
9. Where were you last night? At home and, later, taking a walk with Eden.
10. What color is your front door? a rich gray-blue. 
11. Where do you keep your change? All over the place. Desk, bin in car, bottom of purse, in wallet. Change from the laundry goes into a Batman/Superman piggy bank in the drawer under the washer.  If you count Matthew's, on my dresser and under the bed, too.
12. What’s the weather like today? Perfect fall weather: cool, blustery, and raining.
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Umqua peppermint.
14. What excites you? Handbags.  My husband.  Painting the house.
15. Do you want to cut your hair? Yes, and color it, too.
16. Are you over the age of 25? 9 years over.
17. Do you talk a lot?  Come on.  After reading this site, you think I ever stop talking?
18. Do you watch the O.C.? No, I lived it, for three years. 
19. Do you know anyone named Steven? I know a few. 
20. Do you make up your own words? Sometimes, but I like other people's made up words better.
21. Are you a jealous person? I am, but only when I'm hormonal.
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Alesia.
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kirk.
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? A lawyer. 
25. What does the last text message you received say? "ETA?" (Matthew)
26. Do you chew on your straw? Not since I was nine.
27. Do you have curly hair? More wavy than curly (and only when it's long), but yeah.
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Bed.
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? The last waitress who served us at Bugatti's in Tanasbourne. I don't care how good their Caesar salad is, I'm not going back. Worst.Service.Ever.
30. What was the last thing you ate? An old fashioned donut hole - darn you, GT, for bringing them into my home!
31. Will you get married in the future? Nah.  I like the husband I've got.
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? I can't remember if we've seen any, but I do know we've been catching up with Heroes.
33. Is there anyone you like right now? Actually, I like most people.  Except that waitress at Bugatti's. 
34. When was the last time you did the dishes? This morning -- we reached critical mass with the bottles.
35. Are you currently depressed? No, but probably because Matthew has started doing the bills and I have no idea how bad it is.
36. Did you cry today? Yes, during an episode of House. I'm a sucker.
37. Why did you answer and post this? My head hurts from work -- and a meme isn't work.
38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. I usually don't, but: Alesia, CM, Soozie, Karate Kitties, and Yin.  Oh, hell.  I can't just pick five!  All of you!

Such a girl!

When the Peach gets hysterical -- overtired + hungry + uncomfortable -- she does this squealing sort of sound in between sobs that just cracks me up.  (OK, so I'm laughing on the inside while I try to get her to unwind -- still, I'm inwardly cracking up.) 

It's just such a girly sound -- shrill enough to strip the paint from the walls -- and not all that different from what, I imagine, she'll sound like in ten years when she's on the phone with her girlfriends, talking about boys.  Omigod! 

Long Row to Hoe

There was a time when I hiked.  A lot.  At altitude.  (We lived in the Sierras -- that helped.)  I scoffed at lowlanders, at the way they huffed and puffed up trails, or even up and down hills in San Francisco.  (And they drink giardia-infested water on hikes -- gross!)  I even mocked how they drove in the snow.  (They can't.)  Needless to say, I was in awesome shape. 

You know what they say about pride. 

My baby weight may be gone, but not so the law school weight. Or the post-baby "jelly-belly."  Or the Norvasc water retention, for that matter.  And let's just say that cranking our treadmill's incline up to 12 makes my calves burn like nobody's business.  Getting back into shape is depressing in the extreme. 

But, as a neighbor says, everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  I have to remind myself that I'm in the beginning -- again-- and that I can get back into great shape.  It's just going to take a little time. 

Sigh. At least I can still drive in the snow. 

Playing Catch-Up, or the dullest blog post ever (unless spit-up, edema, and firing clients count as interesting)

I know it's typical for new moms to feel harried, so I hate to keep whining about how I'm scrambling to keep on top of  up with the day-to-day.  But...that's my life right now. 

The Peach is doing quite well.  She's gorgeous; her hair is growing and she's  smiling or laughing all the time (except when the camera is out).  She loves sitting up in her Bumbo chair or in our laps, and she can keep her head steady for a long time.  On the down side, she bores easily and watches the TV if we're watching something while we're feeding her -- which means no more "What Not to Wear" while feeding the baby.  Or House.  (I do let her watch costume dramas with me...they're so slowly paced, surely the American Pediatric Association can't think there's anything wrong with Mansfield Park, can they?)

Health-wise, I'm in Norvasc hell.  Did you know it causes water retention?  So annoying -- I mean, I thought I took blood pressure meds to AVOID pitting edema.  But I'm stuck with it until the hematologist and the nephrologist are done with me.  I see the hematologist Tuesday afternoon, and am hoping that I can talk him into talking to the nephrologist ahead of schedule - I would love to take off trouser socks and not have huge indentations in my calves. 

Work-wise -- well, it's not hell.  It's busy, though -- my to-do lists are insane, and I'm constantly cramming 4 times the work into 1/4 the time. Last week was the worst -- I only had GT for half a work day, instead of two or three days.  Aiee!  At least I kept up with phone messages. 

I've pretty much had to fire a client who was not taking my advice, was accusing me of being disloyal for talking to opposing about settling, sending me rambling email messages, not giving me information about potential witnesses, and then started directly faxing opposing counsel and others.  (And not copying me on those faxes.)  Yeah.  I'm a glutton for punishment, but not that much. 

The big weekend positives: I did a couple of crosswords.  I organized my work area.  (This is huge!  Our house is pretty much a series of rooms with furniture conducive to reading and working on laptops.  Unfortunately, this means that when one area is chaotic, it's easy to move to another.)  I organized my past research, even -- separate folders for "respondeat superior," ORCP 47, "spousal support" and so on.  I'd been meaning to do that for so long - and now my life is already a lot easier.   Which is to say -- yes, I did work, too!

Another positive?  We've managed to eat real meals for three days in a row.  No take out!  And tonight I made a lasagna (fire roasted tomato sauce, whole wheat pasta, six cheeses, low fat ricotta, pepper, salt, parsley, and garlic) that should keep us going a couple of days more.

There's so much more I want to do before I go to bed -- but looking at the time, I don't think it's a good idea to stay up.  The weekends are so heavenly for me, in terms of sleeping: Matthew takes any odd-hour feedings and I can sleep in as late as I want (usually 10 or 11).  Monday mornings - well, they're not all that fun. 

Chinese curse

The last time Matthew called me and started off with, "I don't want you to worry, but..." he went on to tell me that a colleague had been shot.*  (In fact, the colleague's body was in the parking lot at the time he arrived at the facility.) 

Today it was, "I don't want you to worry, but they've found a suspicious package (or vehicle or both) near the Doubletree, where they're conducting the dirty bomb drill." 

*And yes, this was when he was a health administrator with the US Postal Service.  Yes, I know all the jokes about the flag flying half-mast at the USPS.

Sometimes you just aren't in a mood for tummy time

A nap makes everything better. 

Just a friendly reminder

Even if you know your attorney has started working from home after the birth of her baby, it doesn't give you carte blanche to call her (over and over again) at 8:30-9 PM (without leaving messages) in the hopes she'll answer the phone.  She does, by the way, have Caller ID.

Geez Louise. 

Eden vs. The Dress

Someday I may actually learn how to include the video in these posts, but for now, here is a rare bit of footage with Eden "talking," but with me talking a good deal more, in an effort to fill the silence.  Really, the good bits are in the first minute or two.

Although the film was done in high quality, we have to shrink it to almost nothing for the net.  Sorry for all the pixels!

If it's Sunday

I must be in the law library.

There but for the grace of social services...

Imagine that you have a 12-week-old baby boy, who was born prematurely and has suffered with breathing difficulties and terrible acid reflux and colic since the day you were (finally!) able to bring him home from the hospital.  Imagine that you've taken your baby to specialist after specialist to figure out what's going on with him.  Imagine that after the baby has a very, very bad day, you take him to the hospital and tell the doctor (the fifth one you've said this to, incidentally), that you've heard a popping sound.

After the x-rays come back, imagine your shock when the doctor tells you that your baby has broken ribs -- and that you and your husband are the number one suspects.

After seven days of interviews (with police and human services and doctors) and a rollercoaster of "yes he can go home, but with supervision" to "he's going into a foster home" and back again -- all the while the baby is in the hospital and the doctors aren't interested in finding out what's wrong with him -- the very worst happens.

They take your baby away. 

Lag Liv is a third year law student at the University of Chicago.  Insurance will not begin to cover the hospital costs incurred over the last week, because they were not "medically necessary," though they had no ability to take him home from the hospital while this was pending.  If you can, do contribute to her hospital/legal bills via PayPal.  Her address is lagliv@gmail.com.

I won!!!!

Well -- the half of the case that gets me paid, anyway!  But who cares which PR is dispensing funds to my client, so long as he gets his money?

It's 1 AM...

And I'm responding via email to a client who is upset with me, pretty much for doing exactly what she asked me to do on Sunday. 

Ah, the practice of law.  Good times. 

Vote for Kim

Law school, mother of three, fighting breast cancer (and blogging her experiences)
-- and now Kim is up for a $10,000 scholarship, competing against 19 college bloggers.  As she writes, the scholarship money would tremendously help offset her mounting medical bills at a time when her family very much needs it.

Vote for Kimberley Klein!

My bottle!

(Sorry about the quality -- taken in really bad lighting.)

Week(s) in Review

The last couple of weeks have been a mad juggling act.  The time I spend with the Peach is precious and wonderful, but exhausting (just like working a desk job, I always wonder why it's so physically draining).

She's straining the feet in her 3 month sleepers, but the 6 month sleepers are still a bit too long.  Her head is massive -- none of the baby hats in the 3-9 month range fit her.  I managed to find a cute pseudo-trapper hat at New Seasons that should fit. Fortunately, we don't have to worry so much about the cold, just the wet.

In other news...

• High blood pressure and a headache do NOT a good jog make.
  • New blood pressure med is working splendidly, but the water retention associated with it?  Not so good. 
• I was given a thrombophilia panel by my perinatalogist a few weeks back.  Two of the results (of the 9 tests) came back showing I have two genetic mutations (one is heterozygous, meaning one bad copy and one good copy, and the other is homozygous, meaning two bad copies). A lot of people have one or the other, but usually not both, and most people with the second mutation usually only have one bad copy of the gene.  Bonus for me, right?!  Well, I guess it IS nice to know -- I get to go to a hematologist now for more tests and they'll be able to monitor me to make sure I don't throw a clot -- but doesn't explain the blood pressure problem.
  
  • So long, cheap life insurance...
• The Peach and I spent seven hours (!!) together yesterday (her 4 month birthday) going to (my) appointments and running errands.  She was such a trooper!
  
• A sex abuse case I drafted the trial memo and jury instructions for returned the highest damages EVER in the county I live in for a PI plaintiff.
• Lugging the Peach around (13 pounds) in her carseat (7 pounds) has strained and inflamed my right rotator cuff.  Normal people can take ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and help the pain....but I can't take anti-inflammatories. I took an Ultram (really for my migraines) but it still hurts.
  
  • Naturally this happens when I am starting to play the cello again. 
  • Also hurting: right knee, neck. 
  • Itching: spider bite on my stomach (!) -- it's getting cool and the spiders are sneaking inside.  And biting me.
• I have a client who is insisting on going to hearing on a guardianship matter even though I've advised her  against it, for various reasons.  Worse: the hearing is set for late next week and she isn't communicating with me now -- making it awfully hard to prepare.  Sigh. 
• The Peach has started reaching and grabbing relatively small objects in front of her.  It's been so fun watching her go from randomly batting her arms to grabbing things she accidentally touched to this movement with intent. 
• The Peach also likes to sit up.  When she's reclined (in a car seat, or Papasan, or swing) she tries to sit up, and she loves to be pulled into a sitting position. 
• I've decided that I don't want to travel to Nevada in December with a 6 month old.  I know it's doable, but I don't want to do it anywhere near the holidays.  Maybe in March.
• I realized this week that on December 30, Matthew and I will have been married 15 years.
• The Peach did her first massive projectile vomit yesterday afternoon -- about five ounces of formula all over her, me, the couch, and the floor.  Ugh.