By Kim Blakely, Mojo’s mama
Yeah, so vacation.
Is it ever really exactly what you want it to be?
Don’t get me wrong – mine was good. It’s just that I generally place too many expectations on vacations and I tend to feel a little let down when they’re over.
Eh. Maybe I just feel let down because they’re over.
I got lots of reading done. I love to read. I crave books, and I’m almost always reading one or two at a time, but like most moms I just don’t have much time to sit and enjoy the printed word. Mostly, I read a few pages here and there, while I’m drying my hair or while I’m waiting for my computer to boot up or while I’m waiting for the pasta to boil … you get the picture. So this was nice, this being able to find a quiet spot and shoving worries about deadlines to the back of my mind while I engrossed myself in fiction.
Is anyone else obsessed with the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer? It’s not really something I thought would grab my attention, but it had been creeping into several of the blogs I read and as I looked for good beach reads I decided to give it a try. I read the first book (Twilight) on the way to the beach on Sunday and was finished with it by Tuesday. I scored a copy of the second book (New Moon) at an amazing beachside bookstore a couple of days later and finished it before we pulled in our driveway on Saturday. I was so hooked that I dragged my road-weary self to the store right after all the bags were unloaded to get the third installment (Eclipse). And now I’m eagerly awaiting the fourth and final book (Breaking Dawn), set for release this weekend.
I have no idea why these books have so captivated me but, oh, they have … and no one I know personally has read any of them so I’m dying to find someone who can chat with me about them!
Now, just because I did all that reading, you shouldn’t assume that I was slacking on my resolve to dedicate time to playing with Mojo while we were gone. I turned most of the pages early in the morning, lounging on the balcony that overlooked the sand and surf and watching the sun (and the beach umbrellas) come up, and in the car while the kiddo was glued to his Nintendo DS. He’s a late sleeper, my boy, and I let him doze as long as he wanted before we got “sunscreamed” (Mojo’s word, not mine, although I would have to agree with that this is an apt description from his point of view) and swim-suited up and headed out to make sandcastles and splash in the waves.
Speaking of swimsuits, my vacation would have been infinitely better if I had somehow been able to find a way to stay invisible while wearing mine. (Note to self: check out diet and exercise plans.)
And, of course, the week at the beach would definitely have been more fun if Clomid hadn’t gone along for the ride. I took my first pill on the day we left – surreptitiously, because my mom was sitting right beside me and I have thus far been able to avoid telling her about all these TTC goings-on.
I was tempted to tell her while we were gone, but I still think I would regret it later. This is hard enough without having to drag someone else down with me.
Clomid made the hot days and nights far hotter for me, and I think it played a part in my [grumpy] attitude. I’ve had what I can only assume are panic attacks this time around – I’ve read that those are possible side effects but I have been lucky enough to avoid those until now. I had a mild headache all week, and last week it made good on its threat. It slammed into me with a force I couldn’t even have imagined, putting me almost out of commission for two days and the better part of a third. I don’t know if it was a side effect or just coincidence, but I was afraid even to try to fight the skull-splitting pain Tylenol because it did coincide with ovulation and I sure as heck didn’t want to mess that up.
So now I’m going into the two week wait, hoping and wishing that Clomid and this week of relaxation and fun in the sun will be enough to give us a chance at another kiddo to play with in the sand next go ‘round.
At least I’ll have a good book to carry me through the last few days of waiting. Even if I don’t get to read this one beachside.
