The book I'm reading is The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. This is a short book at just over 200 pages but it is packed with heartache so it's not something you can rush through. It's about a boys' reform school in the Tallahassee area of Florida and it's terrible treatment of the students, especially the black students. It's based on a true story, which makes it an extra chilling read.
The high of my week was *crickets*. Some weeks don't have highs - and that is ok. This was a really tough week. See low below...
I had some really awful nights of sleep with all the wake ups so started to come down with a flare on Tuesday and it was worse on Wednesday so I opted to get a steroid injection in the joint. Injections are really painful but effective. Below is a comparison of my healthy hand (left) and my hand with the flare (right). Man RA sucks. I'm so ready to be done with the family planning stage of life so I can get back on my ideal drug combo (which is not safe for pregnancy/breastfeeding unfortunately).
I see a PA for my injections and since he gave me so many during my pregnancy (9 I think?), we have gotten to know each other really well. I was thrilled to hear that he and his wife are expecting after 3 miscarriages. So that was a mini-high of the week for me!
A recipe I made was Stuffed Pepper Soup in the instant pot. This is something we tend to have once a month as it comes together quickly if you cook the rice ahead of time (which I do in the instant pot the day before) and cut up the peppers, onions and garlic ahead of time.
The best money spent was on black-out curtains for Paul's bedroom. The previous owners had 2 kids but neither of the kid bedrooms had black-out curtains. They must have had some really solid sleepers. We definitely need black-out curtains for naps as Paul sleeps much better in the dark. And come spring/summer, we'll need them for bedtime as his bedroom is west-facing. My MIL suggested we not get any and let Paul adjust to sleeping in a brighter room but I was like "hell to the no!" He's already a fairly crappy napper and mama needs as long of a break as she can get!
My plans this weekend include next to nothing. We were supposed to have a friend over for dinner tonight but I cancelled as I am feeling worn out/under the weather. Tomorrow we have swimming lessons in the morning - hopefully I will feel well enough to go as we have missed so many lessons this fall! Swimming lessons are our only plans for the weekend and I am SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS after several packed weekends! I'm hoping to sneak away to our bedroom for several hours on Saturday or Sunday. I was on my own with Paul quite a bit this week and could use a little break/me time. Phil is totally on board with this.
Bonus Paul Pics
Paul likes to pretend that remotes or anything that resembles a phone is his phone, which he calls his "hello." Yesterday I noticed that he was holding the "hello" in front of him and says "cheese." I often take selfies with him to send to family so I guess he learned that me!
He enjoys looking at the Christmas cards we receive in the mail. I just can't let him look at them for too long as he has a tendency to bend them!
Looking through one of his favorite lift-the-flap books. This one is all about farms. He knows all the animals and the sounds they make!
"Enough with the pedestrian board books, mama. Give me something with depth!" (He took interest in my copy of The Nickel Boys).
Hopefully your week was better than mine - please share a high so I can live vicariously through you!
9 comments:
No highs to report, but Christmas is coming very soon, I'm not ready, and I don't feel stressed about it! Now that's a high for me!
Next week should be better, or hopefully it will be. I hope that flare has retreated, and that you get the much needed rest you need. RA is crappy, no doubt about that!
It does sound like a grim week, Lisa. I'm glad Paul is on the mend, though, so hopefully you can get a little rest and restoration. And that the flare disappears fairly fast. Hugs to you.
Ha, learn to sleep in a brighter room. ha. ha. ha. ha. I actually need shades for my room and Adeline's room soon. It's been helpful that it's so dark because of winter but I know that soon she won't be sleeping as easy and we will need the dark shades. Isla is 8. She still has the room darkening shades. And she gets the morning east sun. You best believe I want that child to sleep in even at 8!!! Heck, I need them for me because I learned this summer that I can't sleep well after my room starts to get brighter. We've never put shades in our room because we are north facing and we have woods out our room. It's on my anthony better do it this winter list!
LOL - I know adults who can't sleep in rooms that don't have room-darkening shades! I think that's the right call. Paul needs to be able to sleep! (And you need to be able to sleep, too! Ha.)
I'm sorry it's been a tough week for you - that flare looks gnarly! I hope it heals up quickly.
I'm sorry you had a rough week! Unfortunately I can't share a high from mine as I'm working extra preparing for an accreditation site visit, we have had tiring plans each evening, and I came down with a bad cold! I guess the high is that after today's karate test we can at least relax on that front - timing a test during the holidays just adds stress and too many obligations.
ugh, glad you were able to get your injection and that Paul was able to get treated, I think black out curtains are a thing that are fairly newer. I certainly didn't have them growing up, but I remember being a kid and not understanding in the summer why I had to go to bed when it wasn't even dark out. I bought them for my condo (first time with them) and I will never not have them, because when you need them, they are amazing!
I am so sorry for the rough week, for Paul being sick and your RA flare (truly, it sounds awful). I hope the injections help and Paul is feeling better.
Ufda! You had such a brutal week last week. Reading back on last week I'm sure that also had something to do with you being sick this week. Sounds like you are just not getting enough sleep and we all know that majorly contributes to feeling under the weather. I really hope you get lots of rest this weekend and feel better before the holidays!
Oh wow, that is awful - strep for Paul and an RA flare for you :-( I know how brutal strep is, as I used to get it so often as a kid. Owie indeed!
A high from my week was that yesterday was my last day of work for two weeks!
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