Back to Virginia

As everyone know, we went back to Hawaii the day after Christmas and celebrated Sam's first birthday there.  Josh came back to Virginia after New Year's and Sam and I stayed behind, partly because Josh was going to come to Hawaii for work late February, and the other part is that so Sam can spend more time with family.  The time flew and before I knew it, 3 months was over, and now we are back in the east coast again.  


The last 3 months didn't go uneventful, at least the first 2 and a half was.  About a week before we came back to Virginia, I had my very first ER visit.  I was at work one afternoon and felt like going to the bathroom. I had this sudden onset of stomachache:  severe right upper abdominal pain.  I felt clammy; I was sweating but yet felt cold at the same time.  I had a co-worker drive me home as a I could not endure the pain.  I refused to go to the ER or have them call 911.  Let's just say I have an aversion to the hospital despite working there in the past.  My only hospitalization was when I birthed Sam.  


I rested and attempted to sleep when I got home.  The pain subsided but decided to come back after a few hours.  I decided then to go to the hospital and asked Josh to drive me there. Lucky for me, Josh was already there, and we were with family making it easier to leave Sam at home.  At the ER, I waited 4 hours to be seen, only to confirm what I suspected:  I have gall stones.  I opted not to have surgery.  The ER doctor said it was early enough that surgery is optional at this point.  He prescribed me pain and nausea medicine and sent me home.  I've had 1 attack since then, which was just last week.  I am so grateful that Josh's work is flexible and he was able to care for Sam while I was sick.  Though the pain medications took the edge away, the pain can be excruciating at its peak, leaving me mostly immobile.  Thank goodness that's over...at least for now.  What I've learned though is that I really have to watch what I eat from now on.  I can't say that we've been totally unhealthy eaters.  But of course, the unhealthy seems to taste the best, making you want to eat more. 


Since our return, we've been able to do some fun stuff.  A couple of weeks ago, we were able to take Sam to the National Zoo.  He didn't seem interested initially.  I think he was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd.  He warmed up as the day progress, and even ended up passing out on his bike/stroller.

This past weekend, we had planned to see the Cherry blossoms.  However, we were late...the blossoms were all again.  We still had a great time walking along the river and going to the Lincoln Memorial.  Sam enjoyed "weeding" and playing with Dandelions.  

A gracious lady was kind enough to take this picture of us.  Our first family picture since we came back.  I really enjoy this moments.  Sometimes when we're here, I feel like my focus is just getting the chores out of the way and making sure that Sam is safe when he plays.  Taking an afternoon just to take in the sights is a real treat and it keeps my mind off of my messy house.

Sam is growing up so quickly, I wish time would slow down a bit.  Some days though, I wish he would grow up faster so he'll be able to communicate to me what he wants instead of screaming and crying.  Nevertheless, I still can't believe that this beautiful boy is mine.

On the days that we are home, this is pretty much what he does.  So many toys and he chooses to sit inside a box.  As of this moment though, he is quiet and is enjoying watching Yo Gabba Gabba.  It's a rare quiet time for me and I'm glad coz I was able to write and share this blog.

I don't really know how long we're going to live for.  I really enjoyed my 3 months in Hawaii, and sometimes I yearn working and being able to leave Sam with people I trust and have some breathing room.  I still don't feel comfortable hiring a baby sitter... I just don't know how they're going to treat Sam and at the same time, I don't know how Sam is going to react to strangers.  For the moment however, we are once again home and loving being a family.