Kabul Beauty School

I just finished one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. It's about an American beautician that goes to Afghanistan right after the Taliban fell to help. She gets this idea to open a beauty school for Afghan women so that they can have a way to earn more money and have a marketable skill. I think that it is really amazing what she did. I don't think that most people would realize how much a beautician could really help! It is fascinating and heartbreaking to read about the Afghan women's lives, before, during, and after the Taliban. It is also quite humorously written. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

No More Cast!!!!!

Today, Petra and I took a trip down to Shriner's, and she got her cast off!!! HOOORAYY!!! She has a little brace to wear on her thigh for the next 2 weeks, just until her muscles get a little stronger, but it easily comes on and off so she can bathe. Tonight, she spent half and hour in the tub, and she didn't want to get out! Her lips were blue because the water had gone cold, she was shivering like crazy, and all she could do was laugh and say how much she loved baths! Also, Dr. Carroll said that she would like to do a bone density-type test, but we have to wait three months, because her bones need to recover from being in a cast. If it turns out that her bones are weak, she will have to have a phosphorus-calcium IV medication every 4-6 months. I am SO happy that they are finally DOING something about this! Hopefully, we won't ever have to go though this again. Also, tonight, she tried sitting up on the floor, and she did it! She hasn't been able to do that since they put her hip in the socket!! I'm exhausted from spending eight hours in a car, but it has been a good day.

Frustration

I don't want for all of my posts to be negative, but I guess you'll just have to endure more gripping for me (or stop reading now.) I am about stressed to the max. Petra is incredibly bored of not being able to do much of anything, and it is making her whiny and clingy (which is hard, because every time I touch her cast, I get hives all over my hands!) Also, Talia is belly crawling, and it is getting more and more difficult to keep an eye on her. Today, she had something in her mouth, and when I pulled it out, it was a dead wasp. Yuck! I nearly threw up. School is looming, and I think that the mere prospect of it, wondering how I'll get through my work, etc., is actually worse than the classes will be themselves. Money is always a worry, and I was up until midnight last night stressing about medical bills and car repairs. Petra's medical needs have shot through the roof in the last week, with me calling all around and trying to arrange a million different things. Oh, and I have a new calling. I have to create a ward choir out of nothing (okay, I actually don't think that that will be too bad.)

The one bright spot--through the college I got a really good deal on an Apple Club membership, and today I had fun working out (I hate to admit it, because it sounds really awful, but just getting away from the girls for a little while was a relief). Of course, there is a downside there, too, because I can only go during the laxest times, when the nursery is not very full (because of Petra), and that means that I can't take any of the classes. There is still equipment and stuff, but I wanted to take step aerobics and spinning.

Anyway, moan moan moan. Complain complain. Sorry.

Pic of Girls

This is a pic of the girls that I am posting for an expiriment.

The Trouble With Teeth

This week, I hate teeth. I finally took Petra to the dentist (bad mommy!) which is something that I have been putting off because everytime I made an appointment, something came up, and I knew that it promised to be a very bad experience. Well, it didn't turn out to be bad in and of itself, but it turns out that poor Petra has so many cavities, that she needs to have all of them filled under full sedation at the local surgical center! Her enamel is very worn down. It makes me feel really cruddy because I have tried to take good care of her teeth (nothing but water at nighttime, and I brush her teeth each evening and most mornings) but I guess it wasn't enough. I feel dreadful, because teeth don't heal on their own--they only get worse and worse! Her dentist thought that perhaps her bad teeth had something to do with the Arthrogryposis, but I don't know. Maybe the fact that she doesn't eat very well? Anyway, she can look forward to a lifetime of teeth problems (including braces). Whoo-hoo. That poor thing. As if her little body didn't give her enough problems.

And, (joy, joy) Talia has been teething. Now, most of the time we just call her Spit (courtesy Scott (I think)). She cut her first tooth the other day and the one next to it is not far behind. It is a very exciting/harrowing time.

Thankyou mom for making me take all of those disgusting little pink pills.

Lava Hot Springs

Talia and I in the Pool

William, Dusty, and Talia in the Pool

Just one swimsuit and one towel per person!!
Dusty's lovely sunburn (spray on sunscreen--not so great!)
Dusty taking Petra for a brief float in the river by our yurt.

We took a trip to Lava Hot Springs the last couple of days. My mother-in-law took all of the kids and Dusty and I down and we stayed in a Yurt. Boy, talk about fun. 7 kids (4 under the age of 8) and 3 adults in a tiny little one room shack. Actually, my first emotion on pulling in was sadness. I remembered that the last time I was there, we were with my whole side of the family (except for Ryan and Heather (and they were on the phone)), and I announced that I was pregnant with Talia. I just missed my family so much. It feels like I never get to see them.



Anyway, on the first day, we went to the pool. That was pretty fun. It's a pretty great pool. Then we went back to the Yurt and tried to get the kids to sleep (very unsuccessfully the majority of the time). The next day, Dusty, Jessica, Neil, and William floated down the river while Alice Marie took the little girls shopping, and I stayed home so that Talia could get a desperately needed nap. When they got back, William told me that I just had to try floating the river, so we went up again. This time, we went up a little higher, and there were some rapids and a little waterfall. William and I, in one double tube, went over the falls just fine, but Neil and Jessica, in another double tube, capsized and Jessica lost her sandals and they both got kind of scraped up. Fortunately, Dusty had gone on ahead to take some pictures of us as we went under a bridge, and they were able to get out there instead of taking the rest of the hour long float.



After that little misadventure, Neil and Jessica weren't able to go swimming at the pool (because of the open wounds), but the rest of us went back (except for Talia--it was her first time ever swimming and I'm not sure that she liked it all that much). Anyway, that turned out to be a very eventful hour!! First, Petra got sick. She started acting all sleepy and saying she was hungry. She couldn't even open her eyes all of the way. We later realized that because we'd forgotten her Pediasure and she'd eaten about like she always does, she had had basically no calories in the past 24 hours. And it's not like she has a lot of fat reserves! Well, while she was lying on the grass, I went to buy her a PB&J at the concessions stand 10 feet away. While I was waiting in line, this car came screeching up the ramp that passes just uphill from where we were. It hit another car, spun around, and smashed into the guard rail right above where Petra was lying. I had horrifying visions of it smashing though and rolling down the hill right on top of her. It didn't (though it did leave quite a dent in the guard rail!). What it did do is speed right down the ramp it had come up, leaving a whole tire behind and starting a fire in the grass next to the road!!! Some people from the pool ran up and put out the fire, and the cops stopped the driver right at the pool parking lot. I later heard a local girl who had gone to see what had happened say that the boy was wasted. It was really, really scary! I have never seen a car accident before.



Right after the pool, I had to rush back to Shelley for play rehearsals. I am playing Kate in The Pirates of Penzance. It is a really fun one. Anyway, Petra was doing better since eating, but I decided to bring her home with me to completely recover, and since Neil and Jessica couldn't swim (and Neil didn't want to share a bed with William again (and Jessica didn't want to have to use the port-a-potty again)) they came home with us. Everyone else came home the next morning (today). Anyway, it was a fun little trip, even though we didn't leave the state or anything. Who knew you could have so many adventures so close to home!

One Of Those Moments

Tonight, I had one of those moments. So often, it seems like I just try to get through the hours of the day, or wait for something better to come along. "Once I'm not so sick anymore, then I will be happy," etc. I know it's not the way to live a happy life, but forcing happiness has never really been that easy for me, even though I do try to see the good points in a situation. Anyway, once in a long while, I have a moment, about 15 minutes or so at the most, of absolute peace. It's completely unrelated to what I am doing at the time, but I can only describe it as utter contentment, and for that brief period of time, I wouldn't change a thing. I was cooking dinner, and Dusty was outside singing to the girls, who were swinging. The door was open, and the weather was beautiful... Last time, I was just driving in my car. Nothing fancy. Life's little blessings.