mackenzie's stitch

on our fourth morning here in san miguel i broke the coffee pot. i had just filled it from the container of purified water and was turning around. mackenzie was walking passed me at the same moment. her head met the coffee pot and it shattered. she stood very still in the puddle of water and broken glass, perhaps because i shouted for her not to move. i scooped her up and set her on the couch so i could clean up the mess. she didn't cry, or shout or tell me she was hurt. 
i peeked over at her as i squatted down to clean up the glass. blood was running down her face. i cannot begin to tell you the panic that filled me, and the overwhelming guilt. the cut was deep enough that it didn't hurt her, she wasn't alarmed at her blood, and she didn't mind us bandaging the cut as we hurried out the door to the doctor. 

waiting room.

however, she did mind the large shot she received in the eyelid, and the two nurses, one mommy and one daddy that held her down on the table."daddy when you hugged my brain it really hurt!" she reported later. she also wasn't a fan of the winnie the pooh bandage that the doctor put on. she wanted the simple butterfly bandage that she had before. 

we recovered with chocolate cake with sprinkles.

this was her first big injury, her first stitch, and the worst mommy guilt ever. i am happy to report the doctor was wonderful, although i am not eager to return to her office friday to remove the stitch. mackenzie has not complained once about the pain and hasn't even whined about being sponge bathed or not being able to put her head in the pool. she kissed the little cut on my finger and apologized for breaking the coffee pot. who is this child? praying that this is the last of the injuries while away from home and the last stitch for ms. mackenzie.

still smiling, love this girl.

Eating our way through San Miguel

i had this big idea that i would be blogging all the time while i was here, but in reality blogging uses up family time. it also just doesn't quite feel right to do when i have been so disconnected from technology. however, when i sat down today to write out what we've done the past few days, i was shocked to find it is all one big blur. did we go to mega on wednesday or thursday? when did we eat that chicken mole? so i am trying to strike a balance of freedom and also keeping record of our stay here, because let's be honest...i'm already planning my return visit.  

having such a great time!

not surprisingly, much of our journey post thus far have been where or what we've eaten. our knowledge of the city isn't the only thing that is expanding on this trip...whew! we've been eating!

our restaurants so far:

buenas dias: breakfast...delicious! a must for a peaceful breakfast. 

cafe santa ana: cafe in the biblioteca. yummy food, great atmosphere. the perfect spot to munch while you read a book. 

a library. coffee. food. fountain. sunshine. perfect.

mama mia: we got a big pizza however it was not our favorite, but we'll try it again as pizza is a must for the hubs. 

la posidita: roof top date night. delish. beautiful. really reasonable! we'd been there before on our first visit to san miguel, but hadn't realized it until we were up top, looking out at the perroquia. 

view from table (source)

cumpanio: great bakery! baguettes and rolls, but also lots of yummy oils and sweets too. we've been back daily since the find. 

la ventana: my sweet friend who lived here (who we visited on our first trip to san miguel) told me this was a must, and it is really great coffee. turns out that being from portland has turned me into a bit of a coffee snob.

coffee that doesn't disappoint

los milagros: i would go back here just to hang with the staff. they were so sweet to our kids, encouraged us in our spanish, and the food was wonderful too! great family place, as you can see they let mackenzie put on her own show (with the help of little sister)

cafe muro: breakfast done right! fresh squeezed orange juice, house made rolls and awesome service.

el pegaso: such a cozy atmosphere. it was dumping rain this afternoon, flooding the streets and making us run for cover! pegaso was the perfect spot to find refuge. we had a comfy corner table and the menu is quite an eclectic assortment of food from asian, mexican, and american, sounds like a catch all but it all was great!

watching the river of water flow down the streets at pegaso

Day 1

day zero:

our arrival day we ate out at venus lounge, a thai place...i know thai food in mexico??? don't judge! this place is hopping with yummy restaurants and surprisingly venus lounge was listed as #1 on trip advisor. i'd give it a 4 outta 5. yummy spring rolls, don't miss those puppies if you're ever here!

addie may or may not have eaten out of a bowl on the floor...yup, we are those parents.

great service, yummy food, worth the trip.

the best part of day one:

we walked all over town and after nap time made our way to el jardin. this is truly the heart of san miguel. some sweet school girls were playing, maybe it was their recess?? they were amazingly kind to mackenzie, and i was emotional as i watched them include her in their games. what a sweet way to be welcomed to sma.

Getting Here!

justin and i have spent months planning our trip to mexico. as we took stock of our traveling companions (mackenzie 3 years, and addison 17 months)...we realized it would look different than any trip we have ever taken! so we decided to take our time, break it up, and enjoy the trip there. it was the right choice, although we certainly were ready to arrive in san miguel.

leg one: beaverton to san ramon (east bay)

15 hours of driving, two littles, a picnic, bag full of junk food, and an engine light flashing makes for an interesting trip down. the girls did great, our car however barely made it. not exactly the way we wanted to start the trip. the tribeca is spending our vacation in the shop. **wince**

ready to go!

all smiles!

sleeping like babes!

uh oh...

leg two: san ramon to l.a.

quick trip by plane from oakland to los angeles. it was mostly painless, our lap-riding girl, addie, was a wiggle worm...sometimes the plane ticket is almost worth it!

cousins are the best!

go oakland!

we made a quick stop in san fran

the fam...

leg three: l.a. to guadalajara

the three hours went fast. the girls slept and read books. we filled out our custom forms and crossed our fingers for smooth sailing as we went through customs on the other side, it always makes me nervous. we picked up our bags and sent them through the x-ray machine. as the doors slid open to enter into the rest of the airport, i could see my mother waving frantically with a sign. what a great way to be welcomed into mexico.

on our way!

what a beautiful city

leg four: guadalajara to san miguel

five hours by bus. we were towards the back of the bus, near the bathroom. oh. my. word. the stench. i almost died...almost. lesson learned, buy seats toward the front of the bus.

almost there!

and we are here! 

ear update...can you hear me now?

the last few days i have been meaning to log in and write an update. but time slips through my fingers...

take this evening for example:
scene- justin and i bathing the two littles

justin: i laid that towel out for you this morning, did you not see it? (pointing to the towel still neatly folded on the counter)
me: i didn't shower this morning.
justin: (scrunching his nose) oh.
me: i was too busy
justin: i love you anyways.

true love. 

anyways, on to ears...
so i went to see my doc on friday. and i do have an update. but before that, some of you dear friends have asked if i like my doc. like....i am not sure, let me describe...even though i have only seen him in scrubs, i picture this 50-something man with tortoise shell jfk glasses to a) drive a sports car b) wear cable knit white sweaters c) own many pairs of loafers and d) perhaps visit the hamptons... he is just too cool. and i am not so cool. but i picked him because he is suppose to be good, really good.

so mr. jfk glasses started the appointment by hitting the tuning fork and holding it behind my ear. in the past this was where i could hear the best on my right side, with the tuning fork pressed up against the bone. he then held it in front of my ear. before he could even ask, i told him...i hear it better in front! translation...my ear is working!

he asked if i noticed the better hearing in day-to-day life, i said yes but everything is pretty muffled. he looked in my ear with a camera. gross. "here's why" he said, nodding (nonchalantly because he is so cool) with his chin at the image of a black wall blocking my entire ear canal. "blood clot".

he tried pulling the clot, or i should say poking the clot out, but it was too painful. so i am on antibiotic drops that will hopefully cause the ear to drain and we can have another look at how it has healed.

most importantly i want to say thank you for all your sweet notes of encouragement, check-ins, text, emails...it continues to catch me off guard the way that people genuinely care and ask for an update. thanks friends. you're the best.

Christmas chain...thing...

I have been tossing around different ideas for an advent calendar for Mackenzie this year. I didn't want her to just munch on chocolate, get a cheap gift everyday, or mix up the meaning of what this season is about...I guess I wanted it to be a little more intentional.

 

So this is what we did:

First: We cut 30 strips of paper and numbered them, 25 for Christmas, and an additional 5 for her birthday  on the 30th.

Next: I wrote little things on each strip, I listed my ideas below

Then: My glue elf (Mackenzie) and I assembled them in a fancy chain

Last: And then we hung it up to enjoy....

So each day we are going to open one link and enjoy a little holiday cheer! 

December 1st: finding the most beautiful tree!

Here are some of my ideas...

1. Let's go find the most beautiful Christmas tree of all (Pioneer Court house square)
2. Time to go see Santa (Downtown Beaverton's Christmas tree lighting)
3. Read the story of Jesus' birth together, using the nativity scene
4. Make a gingerbread house
5. Surprise! Family is coming
6. Make ornaments (this is something we will do a couple of different times) for the grandparents
7. Make wrapping paper (stamp plain paper)
8. Make Christmas cookies for our neighbors
9. Write Santa a letter
10. Read Christmas stories
11. Make hot cocoa
12. Christmas music dance party 
13. Pick out a Christmas gift for baby sister
14. Wrap presents
15. Mail Christmas presents
16. Surprise! Sleepover with grandparents
17. Missing you today (she'll be gone at her sleepover)
18. Pick out a present for Daddy
19. Make thank you cards 
20. Family is coming today!
21. Bake Santa cookies
22. Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday Jesus!

(that will be 25 things since we are making ornaments 3 times). 

for her birthday countdown...

  26. Let's look through your baby book! (a personal favorite of Miss Mackenzie's)

  27. I love you because....

  28. Let's go find snow (headed to SunRiver)

  29. Let's plan your special day tomorrow!

  30. Happy Birthday Mackenzie! 

this is what's been going on...

hi.
it has been awhile, i know. once school starts up things get a little crazy! i also have started a new blog with my good friend katie at themommymiles.blogspot.com. i am going to continue writing here about my house, family, life....just minus the running updates (some of you are thinking, "finally, who cares how much she ran today!!!!). that is not quite all that has been going on.
this blog has always served as a great outlet to record life's events, so i've decided this too can be recorded.

here's the story:
after i had mackenzie i was having some dizzy spells. in fact, i fainted at powell's bookstore shortly after she was born. i spent a few hours in the er, but they saw nothing going on in my heart or with my blood pressure that would cause my me to faint.

the symptoms went away and life went on. i got pregnant with addison and started teaching first grade. i was having a hard time hearing some of my students. at times there was a ringing in my ears. and at other times my ears would feel completely plugged. i mentioned these things to justin and he was worried about me, i guess because he was worried i chose not to worry. it seemed suddenly the tv was not loud enough, something seemed to be wrong with the volume on my phone, car stereo and alarm clock.

we had addison, a beautiful healthy baby girl. i melted my teapot because i didn't hear the kettle whistling. addison was tear streaked and red faced, i hadn't heard her crying. i started to be afraid. this summer i went in to my regular doc to see if it was allergies, ear wax...something easy that i could fix with a pill or potion. he did a few hearing tests (rubbing his fingers together behind my head to see if i could hear it). he referred me to an ent for more tests. the ent was kind, he explained that it was probably nothing, maybe i ground my teeth at night... i did an official hearing test.

i was in a sound proof booth with a little window. the woman administering the test was on the other side. i was to push a button when i heard a sound in my earphones. i heard some and pushed away at the button, relieved...and then i couldn't hear anymore sounds, i studied the woman's face. i saw her knit her brows together and frown slightly. i knew i wasn't hearing the small ringing sounds. i heard nothing. i heard the sound of my heart beat in my ears, the ringing that was now a constant thing was not from the test, but i didn't hear any more beeps from the earphones. a knot formed in my stomach and my heart beat faster.

the examiner didn't say anything when she walked me back to the exam room. i felt like a high schooler with her first F, i knew i had failed that test. the doctor looked over my results. he was clearly surprised. he cleared his throat and said he would like to perform a few more tests, including a ct scan. he also confirmed that i had severe hearing loss in my right ear, and my left ear was better but still less than "optimal". 

i called and told my family. they panicked a little, but tried not to show it. we were all scared of the ct scan. of what they could find. two days later i had the scan, the result were normal. praise God.

so what the heck was happening?? they performed another hearing test just to make sure, same results. the doctor said i probably had otosclerosis, a bone growth in my middle ear. pregnancy usually speeds up the bone growth.

the doctor said i had three options. i could wait. it would get worse, and quickly...but if i wanted to i could do nothing. i could get a hearing aid. i could get surgery. i asked him if i was going deaf. he said untreated,  yes. i cried on the way home.

i left his office and started researching. i had never known anyone who had otosclerosis, it is often genitic but there is no history of hearing loss (other than old age) in my family. it looked like surgery would cure it, or almost restore my hearing. a good friend recommended a ear surgeon at ohsu. i met with him a few weeks ago. he did a few tests and agreed with the diagnosis. i asked him what he would do if it were his ear, without blinking or waiting a tick, he responded "surgery".

i have a surgery date set for december 19th. i would love your prayers. i am so aware that in the scope of life, this is small. but in the scope of my life, it feels really big.

here are some links to websites with more information:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002031/
http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/otosclerosis.cfm