Huge upset in our family

Ozzie has a pretty large mass on his right foot and just received word from our vet before we left for vacation that it was cancerous. We had an appointment for Ozzie to see a specialist today. Dr. Scaveli said this is a nasty tumor and we should treat it aggressively. I was doing everything in my power to hold back my tears… What was his definition of aggressive? And what would Ozzie have to go through? He’s our first baby!

Frank and I decided to have the tumor removed and his two toes that are nearest to it. The doctor said this was a good start and depending on the pathology, we’ll decide to amputate the entire leg. The surgeon has to have a clean boundary to be sure he got the entire tumor. The pathology report will reveal if we have to take his entire leg. Radiation was another option, but we decided not to put Ozzie through that ordeal. I’ve ready many articles which say the patients have horrible pain and it’s not 100% effective.

Dr. Scaveli, from Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls, was great. He put it all out there and told us what Ozzie would have to go through. The pic is of the offending tumor.

I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer when it was time to say good bye. I couldn’t imagine what I would go through if, god forbid, we would have to do any of this with our children! In the chance that Ozzie would be staying over night, we packed his food, two favorite toys, his medication and my t-shirt so he can have a sense of home when recovering.

The surgery is taking place this afternoon and we’ll get a call when he’s done. I don’t think we’ll visit him tonight as I wouldn’t want to upset him. I’m hoping he’ll come home tomorrow.

It’s a blessing that our schedules are that one of us is always home with him. We’ll make sure he’s comfortable and post any updates. Please pray for little Ozzie.

Atlantic City in All Its Bedazzled Glory

Frank and I went Atlantic City for a few days, just to get a way. Frank had a convention for work and I had two appointments at the Spa. Oh, the spa was magnificent! I spaced the massage and facial out between two days. I think I’m still glowing.

AC is a lot different than Las Vegas. The clientele is a lot older, slower, and crankier than on the strip. But the restaurants were great and we even met up with Frank’s boss, Walt and his girlfriend Wendy for dinner at the Old Homestead. It was superb!

We even enjoyed a few cocktails, the benefits of the ten day rule. Ten days after your period starts, you can enjoy caffeine and cocktails. Once you think you’re ovulating, for me, it’s day 10-13… hands off!

We gambled some, but mostly just enjoyed being away.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

So our first round of waiting was short lived when my period arrived two days late. Now, some women wouldn’t even consider two days being officially late, but me, who’s usually to the minute regular – these two days were grueling. I think I took four over the counter tests… silly me. I was just about to call the doctor for a blood test, but then, of course, aunt flow showed up. I know we wouldn’t get lucky on the first try… ok, so we did get lucky, but you know what I mean.

So, we’re off to the second inning. Heading to Atlantic City for a short vacation at the Borgata – wish us luck!

The Waiting Game

Feeling really tired today. Can hardly keep my eyes open. Frank had me stay up late last night because he realized I’d never seen Braveheart. And he says, “It’s a love story…” sure, with beheadings and blood everywhere. I stayed up for an hour, and then was out like a light.

We’re in the ‘wait and see’ phase of our adventure… Of course I’m feeling a little nauseous, tired, and crampy. I think my nose is working over time knowing that pregnant women have a very sensitive nose. I also read that pregnant women drool a lot more… Isn’t that gross?! And of course I caught myself on one occasion taking note of my mouth secretions.

I know it’s all in my head. There’s no way we could have gotten it right on the first try. At my age, we have a 25% change of conceiving each month… So despite my best efforts on timing, I figure we’ll hit the bull’s eye by the fourth month - September. I’ve been trying really hard not to get my hopes up. I keep talking myself out of this improbable possibility.

Not much going on this week – just keeping the garden alive through this heat wave… and waiting.

It’s hot! It’s damn hot!

The temperature has reached over 100 the past few days and people seem to be spending more time inside, in the safe haven of the air conditioner.

They canceled some schools today and some even planned for an early dismissal. What happened to the days of sweating it out with your class mates until the three o’clock? What ever happened to the lessons learned in the dark in a feeble attempt to keep the room cool? We did not have air conditioning… only the library, the school nurse and of course the administrative offices had the precious cool air blowing through. I remember making excuses to go to the library or to see the nurse, just to cool off, but I made it through ok.

Are we raising a bunch of pansies who can’t take the heat? Or the better question us should the school system be too scared have anyone go down at school? Granted, we’d hope the smart parents would keep those kids who have health conditions at home, but for the rest of the kids – it’s a right of passage. Suck it up!

This all coming from a non-parent… who wouldn’t have to worry about their kid(s) sweating it out in school…

Date Night

Date night tonight at the Somerset Patriots baseball game. We have so much fun watching the game and of course the snacks are always fun. Frank likes to eat sunflower seeds and he makes such a mess. I myself am a fan of the funnel cake with extra powdered sugar.

Frank’s schedule is such that there are only two nights a week when we can actually spend time together. We also get some time on Saturday and Sunday before he goes into work at 5. So that’s four actual set times when we have time w/ each other. This is a huge challenge when trying to schedule time to see our respective families. And to make matters worse, both of our dads have council meetings on Monday nights – the one night a week Frank’s free… Frustrating, especially when the parents complain they don’t see us enough. I’d say right now the schedule is the toughest part about being a cop’s wife. Frank has the worst schedule out of the entire department… and there are no plans to change it. I guess I’ll have to be patient, which we all know I’m not good at. Our parents will be patient. Which they’re getting better at.

Ok – off to the game! Go Patriots!!!

Baby steps

Ok. So if you ask me, we’re officially trying. But if you ask my darling husband, he doesn’t want to talk about it; at great length anyway. I get one or two sentences out of him on the subject then he clams up. But hey, it’s a baby step in the right direction.

I have found myself having to bite my tongue on several occasions. When I want to tell him about something I learned in one of my books, or when I want to tell him about what I should or shouldn’t be eating… there will be plenty of time for that later.

I'm hoping all of my research and reading has paid off and I know enough about my cycle to ensure we hit the mark in the next few months. So far so good – all signs point to ovulation and we have a 25 percent chance on conceiving each month. Not sure I like those odds, but it’s as good as they get when you’re pushing thirty.

I’m turning 30 on June 22… I keep telling myself I’m turning 29 again. I’m having a hard time dealing with another decade under my belt. Let’s hope I can focus on starting a new chapter in my life once I hit the big three-o.