Happy birthday, Sam! I’m still in a state of disbelief that you’re four years old now. How did time go by so quickly?  You’ve grown into the most charming, lovable and loving boy any family could wish for!

I still remember the day you were born, as if it were yesterday…how I worked until 3pm and didn’t realize I was in labor until one of my co-workers asked why I was typing standing up (it hurt too much to sit down, but apparently, that wasn’t enough of a clue for me.) I remember the mad dash your father and I made to the store to pick up the dresser/changing table, and how I brow beat the store personnel into letting us take the floor model, since the one I had ordered months in advance still hadn’t shown up. Talk about the nesting instinct going into overdrive!

Here are some of the most memorable moments from the past four years:

- The morning you discovered Oreo cookies in the drawer and helped yourself.

- Taking you sledding at Grandma and Papa’s house (it was your first real experience with snow).

- When you had just started walking, you stumbled into the coffee table and gave yourself a horrible black eye.

- Your determination to learn to swim…I can’t believe how well you can propel yourself through water. I just wish you’d learn to come up for air, lol!

- The look of amazement on your face when you saw the dinosaur display at Disneyland.

We’re post-poning the celebration until this weekend when Sam’s Aunt and Uncles will be able to join us. It will be lots of fun, I’m sure. Sam can hardly wait for his birthday cake!

I had an appointment with yet another doctor yesterday morning.  His theory is that I’m suffering from some sort of aggravated nerve in my neck and prescribed a bucket load of pills for me to take in addition to all the exercises my physical therapist is having me do.

One of the drugs is an antidepressant (sorry, can’t remember the name right now) when used in higher doses, but does something to minimize nerve pain when used in lower doses.  I can’t imagine using a higher dose of this stuff.  I took one pill last night before bedtime, and fell asleep sitting upright on the couch.  When I woke this morning, I was extremely groggy and had a hard time walking to the bathroom. I still feel some pain in my neck, back and arm, so I guess it’s not a magical cure.

The good news is I haven’t developed any noticeable nerve damage, despite suffering from this for so long.  He also seemed to think I could continue knitting if I propped my elbows up on a higher surface like a pillow and avoiding craning my neck to see what I was doing. I also need to make sure I’m not hunching over.  I tried this and managed to knit 15 rounds on my sock yesterday without too much pain, so his advice seems to be on target. 

Blue yarn, that is Just look at the wonderful gifts my secret pal sent me:

There’s two balls of a lovely wool blend yarn that will make a snuggly pair of mittens or hat …or maybe even a scarf, a package of Earl Grey tea (my favorite!), and some amusing cocktail napkins bearing the inscription “I dreamed my whole house was clean” (how true, lol!).  The best part of the gift was the hilarious post card of a couple of gals wearing hideous ponchos. That had me giggling for the longest time. Thank you so much, Secret Pal, for this delightful package!

About a week or so ago (before my back and hand pain flared up), I finished the first of my feather and fan socks:

It turned out great! I’m not sure if I picked up the stitches around the heel flap correctly in the end, but at least I managed to get rid of the unwanted holes I mentioned in an earlier post.  The sock fits like a glove…sock!  I cast on for the second sock, but it will probably be awhile before I make any progress. I need to give my tired muscles a rest

In Non-Knitting News:

My husband took me on a surprise outing this weekend. We went to a Star Trek convention, of all things. No, I didn’t dress up like a Klingon While much of the show was kind of cheesy (think BADLY edited video clips set to synthesized music from 1981), hearing Brent Spiner (Data from The Next Generation) speak was awesome. He’s so funny and entertaining! It was nice to get out of the house and do something sans kids for once.

I’m going to the doctor this morning for yet another consultation regarding my chronic pain symptoms. I doubt he’ll be able to do much for me, but I just want to get my concerns about this off my chest and have someone listen to me. We’ll see.