Snow People

I kicked the kids out of the house for the afternoon and they froze, oh no!

Just kidding. They had some fun in the snow cause Rex says, "a busy day goes quicker and then xmas is here sooner"

Here's the tunnels they are building to your house!

Happy Snow play to all!

Sherie, Rex, & Ruby

Twas the night before christmas

No it is not St. Nick laying a finger aside his nose, it is Andy shushing Sherie, again! The story of our lives and now it is a kodak moment.

The meal calander is nearing a finish and while we experienced lots of great meals and were so overwhelmed with all your generosity of taking the time to prepare some pretty outstanding meals, the time has come that I re-enter the kitchen and cook again! I have stepped up and cooked 3 great meals this week already! (pork tenderloin/spagetti bolanese/chicken taco soup(thank you Kristi P) I had to call Helen the first night for moral support and a few cooking questions, but I feel it is all coming back now. Thank you all again for all the meals, sweets, and treats. Andy, on the other hand, is troubled by the weight he gained from it all and blames you all for it. I tried to be the psychiatric nurse that I am and point out that he didn't have to have 2nds and eat all the treats, but he is still pointing the finger. Seems he is always doing something with that finger! I guess when you have a bad shoulder you use the body parts that work in excess!

So, The kids are watching A Chritmas Story in preparation for this evening and tomorrow. They have been pretty hyped. They are having a sleepover in Rex's Green Monster bed tonight, I wonder if they will actually sleep. My parents and Auntie Bonnie are spending the night tonight so they can be here bright and early for the excitement! We are going Mexican tonight for dinner, hence the Chicken taco soup. We are heading to our adopted family, The Everding's, for christmas dinner & celebrations tomorrow (beef/shrimp/salmon), we have Friday off to play, to my parents house on Saturday for Turkey dinner & celebrations, and then to Andy's parents on Sunday for Ham & celebrations. So, it seems after my 3 days of cooking I will be getting a small reprieve.

I am done with everything and now able to relax and enjoy the holiday. The champagne is chilling, the pomegranite liquor has been purchased, and the pomegranite seeds await! My favorite part of the holiday is late tonight when the kids are in bed, the presents are all under the tree and all the lights in the house are out, except the christmas tree ones. Andy & I usually sit there and enjoy a cocktail, a kiss, and enjoy the moment. Here's what it looked like last year.

So, Merry Christmas friends and family. No talk of pain, surgery, or boobs today. Life is good and we send our love to you all this holiday season. Thank you for all the extra tidings of good cheer that you sent our way!

Sherie

Andy's Surgery

Andy's surgery has been confirmed for Wed. January 7th. It is an outpatient procedure, so he'll be in and out same day. It will be at the Harrison Surgery Center in Syracuse and Dr. Marc is going to be in there with our boy making sure everything goes as planned. From what Andy understood, I wasn't able to go to the surgeon appointment, they will "cut him open, put in plates and screws and close him up" those are his words, I told you earlier in another blog he was dramatic. By doing this, it will help bones fuse together and then next year they will go in and take it out. He will be in a sling for about ten days and unable to lift more than 5 lbs. for 3 months. That's all I know at this point. He is nervous, hasn't had surgery since he had his appendix out when he was 10 and he doesn't remember that being a good experience. I am working with him on meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques to turn his negative thoughts into happy ones. So far, he has been a very good student!

Tonight is Andy's Xmas office party at the Brewster Inn in Cazenovia, Rex and I just finished working on part of his secret santa gift. His staff go all out and do 30 minute presentations of their gifts, it is hilarious. Yes, the kids are off school due to the BIG snow storm. It is coming down steady, but they are small flakes and we are hafl way through it! Pretty if you ask me.

Me and my expanders are well. I have felt more skin/muscle expanding this week as evidenced by sharp pains around the folds of them when I move certain ways. Nothing a little motrin 800 won't fix. I have the last expansion on January 5th. I am still awaiting confirmation of my next surgery date.

So, one more xmas party with friends tomorrow, xmas brunch at the club on Sunday and then the kids xmas parties at school on Monday and Tuesday and then it'll be the big day! shopping all done, lots of wrapping to go, but I can kick that out with a good 6 hours of focus!

Stay warm, oh, I almost forgot my funny thing for this blog. As Rex and I were working on the project for Andy, Rex asked me what I wanted for christmas and I sang, "all I want for christmas is my two fake boobs, my two fake boobs, my two fake boobs (obviously sung to the tune of my 2 front teeth) I laughed more than Rex and he said, "blog it! "

Happy snow,

Sherie

Party, Party, Party

So we are half way through the holiday parties and we are still looking pretty good. Granted we have been home from all of them early, but we put on a good face while we were there. This weekend was "the" party to kick off the holiday season according to all those there. It was fun from what I can recall. Yes, it's another one of those silly Sherie stories, but this one does NOT end in a split!
So, as if the party itself wasn't enough, we started at a preparty (a lovely event hosted by the Marshalls. thanks to them for opening their home to us all) @4:30pm. I drank only minimal champagne, but apparently the hydrocodone I tool at 2pm was still going strong and intensified the effects of my alcohol. I know, you are saying Sherie is a nurse practitioner and she warns other patients about this, well everyone also knows nurses are the worst patients and we don't listen to ourselves! So yes, I shouldn't have done it, but I didn't want any pain and I didn't have any! so that logic worked. So, for me, hydrocodone and champagne makes one very happy and very talkative Sherie! and you thought I was bad enough with nothing. Apparently I talked through the whole performance (sorry Laura, I really enjoyed what I heard), flitted from person to person spreading joy and cheer, and well I still haven't heard the rest of the stories to know what else.
Thank you to my body guards, Shell & Larisa. They followed me around the whole evening to ensure I didn't get into any trouble or do anything inappropriate. They also got me to sit down and eat.
Thank you to my lovely husband, who presented me with the beautiful necklace I was wearing that evening, for appropriately trying to cut off the wine at the table (I still had a few sips), and for getting me home by 11pm. It was a beautiful time surrounded by lovely music and entertainment, fabulous holiday decorations, and so amny of my dearest friends.

We were up early Sunday for a trip to Rochester to see Momma Mia, what a great show. Te kids had a blast and the cast was phenominal. I would encourage people to go, but that was their last night in Rochester. Go if you are ever anywhere it is! Those Sweds know how to write some great songs! Home that evening to massages. I was finally cleared for them again and it was like heaven. My boobs have been getting so much of the attention that the rest of my body was desperate for some of its own!

Woke to a sick Rex X. he said he felt nauseous and was warm, so he stayed home today. He watched the entire first season of pushing daisies. He seems to be on the mend now. Ruby is off at brownies right now and then her and I are off to martial arts, she got her yellow belt last week!

Andy got into see the specialist today, they had a cancellation. He put him through the ringer with shoulder movement and he is pretty sore and resting now. The verdict is this: he can do nothing and have this pain the rest of his life or have surgery and it should get better.(he said the doctor was realistic that there are always those that don't end up the way we want them too, but mostly they do) They actually have a surgery slot on New Years Eve(I thought he was kidding, but he is not). I guess it was a wise thing that he had already determined to not do the party. My big boy is scared of surgery, but he is also tired of the pain and the restrictions it has put on his life, so he is pulling up his big boy undies and going to have the surgery. I already gave him a book that a friend sent me on mindfulness/relaxation techniques specific to surgery. Now I just got to get him to read it! Thank godness it came with a DVD too cause he is a slow reader! So, guess it is also good I didn't but that new dress I saw the other day for new years.

Off to see how my patients are doing upstairs.

Sherie

It's snowing....finally

I am a Lake Placid girl at heart and I like the snow! The holidays are just not the same without it! Let it Snow! but not enough for a school snow day though, that would ruin it! I like some alone snow time too.

Andy had his apt. with Dr. Marc this week. The collar bone is still not healing and they are referring him to a specialist. We don't know what that will mean yet, but Andy has been experiencing more discomfort with the cold. wet weather. Yesterday he was home for lunch and he screamed out in pain. He was having a muscle spasm, but said it felt like part of his broken bone was coming through his skin, he is very dramatic, he must get that from Ruby. So, if we see you out at parties this holiday season, don't forget, it is the Right shoulder! Lots of people have been hitting/squeezing it when they see him.

I had a "pump up" on Wed. with Dr. Gil. He said my skin is very pliable and stretching well. (Those are compliments you want from the plastic surgeon)I told him I was pretty happy with the current size, so he just did a bit more and then has me scheduled for one more pump in a month. Remember they have to inflate you a size bigger than you want so they have skin to work with in surgery. His office is also working on my "change out" operation(removing temporary expanders and putting in real implants) and we are shooting for end of February. Just in time for Red Sox Spring Training in Florida the following month. That is just a one day surgery and apparently much easier than the last surgery. If that is the case, I'll be home in a few hours!
So Dr. Gil gave Andy an early xmas present. He gave a MD order that I have to massage each breast, in all four quadrants, 5 times a day.Think about that, that is 45 times total for both sides! Does he know it is the holiday season and I am busy being crazy with that, how do I have time for that much breast massage? When I brought that up, he said I didn't have to do it alone! Andy perked right up and proceeded to whine about how this would be the first time since the kids were born that he would have that much action with my girls. So, maybe that will help his shoulder. The massage is suppose to help the expander stay pliable and to prevent adhesions and the such.
So, the expanders are hard and now proceed into my artpits, as warned by others, but they arent too bad. They are sore the day or two after the expansion and I get muscle pain in and around them when I over stretch certain ways, but otherwise I have full range of motion and I am able to do what ever I want. I have even been sleeping on my side, but I so miss my belly sleeping.

So off for a pedicure in Bijou's new Rinalto chair! You should check them out! It's my one attempt thus far at relaxing!

I finished all the inside and outside decorations, we are getting the tree tonight.
Most of the cards are out, but I keep thinking of others I fogot, so don't feel bad if yours arrives late, I did alot this year trying to thank everyone that has been so supportive to us. You had to know I would find a loop hole in that whole I don't have to send thank you rule!
I started wrapping, I have lots more. I only have a wee bit of shopping left.
Nice event at Hobbit Hollow tomorrow night to benefit the Skaneateles Festival, it is my favorite event of the holidays, and I am looking forward to that. Maybe I'll see you there!

Talk to you next week, if I don't run into you sooner.
Sherie

Merry MEALS! updated 12-11-08

(click on calendar to enlarge)

Yes ... she is feeling better... much better... but December is a very busy month...and Sherie is STILL supposed to be taking it EASY.

Meals are still very much appreciated...

Please contact Helen to get on the December schedule..

(ps... I think I might get Sherie a cook book for Christmas... do you think she has forgotten her way around the kitchen?!) - Shelly

New Mattress for Andy

So my father in law sent me this image tonight. At first I thought him insensitive to my current boobless condition, but then I said, "maybe this is what Andy needs to accelerate his shoulder healing. Maybe he has been missing my girls so much that he hasn't been sleeping well and allowing his body to heal." So, if anyone sees this mattress go on sale, let me know cause I think it would be a great christmas present for Andy!

I am in the midst of early xmas craziness: decorating (outside first to keep up the appearance I am still on top of things and then inside this weekend), xmas cards(getting picture, printing picture, writing letter for out ot towners, addressing envelopes, and getting them in mail by weekend), shopping (mostly online at this point, trying to cut back and hoping I can stick to it), wrapping (I bought the paper, labels, and tape, but no active wrapping yet), attending xmas parties (had one last weekend, one today and three more this weekend & we know that means figuring out what to wear and making sure I don't duplicate the same outfit when there is a chance that someone at any of the parties might have been at another party where I wore already wore it). Of course there is still all the other day to day stuff that has to get done too for the kids, the house, and Andy. Year end is a busy time for the businesses and we are also kicking into all that fun!

So, who has time for recovery? not me, I am back to my old ways. I am only doing one motrin a day now, the discomfort is managable, Iam sleeping fine. tubes are out, expanders are filling. I go back for another pump up next week.

Andy 's shoulder has really been bothering him, he has been working like a dog the past few weeks. He has an apt, with Dr. Mark next week to see if the bone stimulator is doing the trick, he seems to think not. Poor thing. Seems breast cancer is better than flipping head over handle bars!

Andy is still out now at meetings and the kids are supposedly getting ready for bed, guess I better go make sure about that. Wouldn't want this blogging to interfere with my real job!

Toodles,
Sherie