Love... love comes from the heart. The king of all organs also makes blood. Sick, Leah, why would you say that? It's because I'm having a bit of a sanguine Valentine's Day. In a huge oversight I scheduled an appointment with my hematologist (physician specializing in blood) bright an early on the day after V-day in Austell. Not thinking about the date, I planned on driving over to my folks' home the night before and crashing there to make the short drive from Powder Springs to the doctor's office. Farewell, holiday fun plans with my husband... On a similar but sort of unrelated note~it's also a hematic holiday because I'm reading Leviticus. You don't get very far into that book before you realize that being a priest in Aaron's day was not for sissies.
I mentioned in my last post that I have a blood clotting disorder. After a few surgeries in my teen years, I ended up with some serious post-surgical bleeding on three occasions requiring emergency medical attention. It was pretty abnormal so I got my very own blood doctor to investigate what would cause me to hemorrhage like a Romanov. He reluctantly diagnosed me with Von Willebrand's disease (sounds frightening, but it's not actually a disease). This little diagnosis caused a world of hurt in the realm of health insurance. I was branded with that loathsome label~
pre-existing condition~ bleh! In the past 7 years since my diagnosis, I've lived a relatively healthy life~no surgeries, no prescriptions, no problems. Meanwhile, scientists were hard at work creating more advanced tests. My pregnancy led me back to my physician who was eager to have a new opportunity to do more sophisticated lab work.
Why am I sharing all this super weird information with you? A couple of reasons! First, it has to do with baby. Kyle's mom has Von Willebrand's disease, too. I'm no geneticist, but I think those odds aren't good for baby to grow up into a successful clotter. Second, I'd love to see my diagnosis thrown out. It's a possibility that the vague results from old tests misled my doctor. It'd make navigating health insurance policies so much easier. Third, I'm excited about the test results. As dorky as it sounds, I love forensic shows on television. It's always solving a mystery with science. I get to be the subject this time around, and I don't even have to be outlined in chalk. Although, with the amount of blood they plan on taking, it could look like a crime scene. Fourth, I was wondering if there were any Freuds or Josephs out there who could confirm that my recurring nightmares about vampires was linked to my weird-o blood story. I figure that one's a long shot.... If you're the praying type or even the well-wishing type, I'll find out the results from my labs in about 2 weeks. I'm praying for healthy blood!
I feel like I deceived you with the title. I assure you that I hope to make this entry charming before it's all said and done. Yesterday Kyle and I shared a little time to exchange cards and gifts before I departed. I gave him a new journal and the latest Abigail Washburn album. If there was ever a woman I feared stealing my husband, it is she.
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| Threat Level Midnight~ if you know what clawhammer is, you understand how inferior I am to this lady. |
Kyle spoiled me with some super sweet gifts. I took pictures because it's more fun to look at them than write about them. We also received some beautiful cards in the mail from family...
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| They make the Eiffel Tower a bit cheerier. |
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| A beautiful bouquet |
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| Vera Bradley treat, An American in Paris (yay Gershwin!), and a cute card |
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| It's a fancy housewife treat~ I can store my coupons and keep a grocery list all in the same place. Owning this was my true heart's desire. |
I had a lovely evening hanging out with Miss Foo. We stayed up late into the wee hours talking about God, and it was a wonderful night. She and I are both of the mindset that Valentine's day is a lot of fun even if you don't have a significant other; we love the candies and the boxes of Valentine's with cartoon themes for school children and the cheesy "Roses are red..." poems. I think I'm equally excited about plundering my local drugstore's V-day clearance section~ heart-shaped Sweettarts, here I come!
Today Kyle and I are going to have our first VDO~ Valentine's day (observed). I went by our favorite French bakery in Marietta to pick up some delicious treats for an awesome dinner.
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| It may not look super appetizing in its to-go boxes, but here's the line up: A French baguette (per Kyle's request), a cream cheese blueberry croissant & pain au chocolat, Eiffel Tower chocolates & raspberry jam cookies, a jar of mushroom brie soup, and a tourte au poulet (French chicken pot pie). |
After I do the easy job of heating up the soup and tourte and share a romantic dinner at home with my beau, we're heading downtown to ice skate. My ice skating days are numbered so I'm happy we're doing this activity while baby is still so small.
If you've been pregnant before,
were there certain activities you made a priority to do before the belly took over?
I think I should probably do a couple of cartwheels before baby is large and in charge.
Hope yall had sweet Valentine's days. <3 Bisous à tous!
