Sleep Apnea.

It's been a road we've travelled for more than 2 years, and an issue we've had for 10+ years.  I say "we" because that which affects Rick's sleep also affects mine. 
Rick's sleep issues started off with pretty mild snoring.  At the start of our relationship, the snoring was limited to only in DEEP sleep, and only on his back.  It progressed to snoring in multiple positions, with myself waking up more often to "nudge" him into a position that he didn't snore in.  Then it was almost constant snoring in any position almost immediately upon falling asleep.  It is really amazing how I adapted to block out the sound- I am a very light sleeper, and although the slightest noise from my daughter will immediately cause me to awaken, I could sleep through the loudest of sawing logs from my husband.
Snoring is one thing....sleep apnea is another issue altogether.
2 years ago Rick's doctor suggested he go for a sleep study, on account he is often fatigued during the day, took frequent naps and had general low energy.  The study found Rick to be a "champion snorer" (no surprise there) and also found him to have moderate sleep apnea.  This means that his throat would often close at night while sleeping, causing him to "wake up" and gasp for breath 10-30 times an hour (= 80+ times a night).  It would bring him out of REM so that his body would not get the rest it needed.  It's a serious condition, and causes stress on the heart and body on a daily basis.  His blood oxygen level would often go below 75%, a critical level. 
Over the last 2 years, I have heard the problem get worse.  In the last few months, I hoped for the nights where I hear the snoring; as opposed to the scary void of breathing- then the huge *GASP* of breath in to start up the oxygen levels again.
There were many ways to treat this condition.  We've tried sleep position manipulation (fail), dental appliance (gag reflex-fail), and the C-PAP breathing machine; designed to create a vacuum condition so that the airway does not close (epic fail).  Nothing helped, so Rick was put on short-list for surgery as a "diagnosed untreated" serious condition.
Bring on scheduled surgery for this summer.  It's a 5 hour surgery consisting of removal of the tonsils, securing the uvula to the top of the throat, tightening the tongue muscles to move it forward, and some other throat procedures all in an effort to widen his airway and prevent collapse during sleep.  There's a 65-70% success rate.
Surgery was today.
The waiting was the worst, seeing Rick post-surgery was second worst.  The surgery went very well according to the doctor.  He was a perfect patient.  You wouldn't think that seeing him, though.  Tubes, breathing apparatus, IVs, swelling, pain.  I felt so bad for my Ricky.  I was only able to spend 15 min with him before visiting hours were over.
Recovery next.

SUMMER starts!

And I fell off the cliff!  (Confused?  Read back to this post) What a first bit it's been.  So busy!

The summer opened up with the usual festivities of Canada Day weekend.  We have a tradition of heading to the Zoo early July 1st with my sister and her family, decked out in Canada Day finest.  :)  It used to be free admission (which started the tradition) but it is no longer.  I actually prefer paying, as it holds back the worst of the crowds!  For our little family of 3, it was under $10, so still a good deal. 
It was fun, but HOT.  Even at 9am, the heat and humidity was impressive.  We saw the butterfly gardens for the first time, feeding time for the tigers, and a variety of other animals.  Erika loved the playgrounds <predictable>, she chased butterflies around, and worried seeing the big cats.  "Will they eat me too, Mommy?"  We were done by 11am, when the heat became too much.  A Slurpee was called for on the way home.

Chasing her butterflies- can you spot it?

Here it is!!

Feeding time...nervous Erika.

So. Hot. Taking the tram saved us.

Our Canada Day finest.  :)



The next few days brought appointments, cleaning house, coping with intense summer heat and trying to catch my breath. I am very happy for the return of trips to the park down the street, and my very good friend Karen's yearly return home. 

Blowing dandelions at our park.  My FAVORITE time to go to this close park is 9:30-10:30am.  There's never anyone there, and a huge tree shades the play structure and slides.  It's our special time together.

Karen's home! Karen and I graduated high school and UofW together, and then she went off to work elsewhere in the world.  Falling in love with Asian living, she is currently living in Shanghai.  Lucky for me, we keep in touch regularly and she comes home to reconnect with friends and family every summer.  I love being able to spend time with her and have a great time.  This year, she brought Erika a lovely dress and other surprises from China.  So fun! 

One evening, it was too nice outside to stay indoors.  Rick went out to "guy time" it up with his group, so Erika and I ventured over to Kildonan Park for the first time this year.  She loves exploring, and surprised me with the things she was willing to try this year.  Tall twisty slides and ladders are no longer scary obstacles for her!  So brave.

What better way to start summer than with a sprinkler! It was again SO HOT, so the grass and the child needed a sprinkle.  She has a blast, and after mowing the lawn, Daddy had fun too.

Wonderful start to the summer!  So many more things are planned; a trip to the States next weekend, a potluck with old friends, swimming lessons, my brother's wedding, and a possible camping trip in my parent's new RV.  I can tell already that these next couple months will fly by. 

A look back

Today, I took a walk down memory lane, almost literally.  The house that I spent the majority of my childhood, all of my adolescence, and a piece of adulthood in had an owner's open house, and I couldn't resist. 
Just a mere 5-6 blocks from my current house, the house I grew up in hasn't aged well since my parents sold it many years back.  Growing up, I remember many large maintenance and improvement projects going on.  Eaves trough, roofing, indoor renovations, outdoor beautifying, it never stopped.  Fresh decor and the previous kept the house very well-maintained and a pride to the family.  Since they sold, I was pretty sure the house would not see such care again.
I have been in the house twice since it was sold by my parents.  The first time was a complete disappointment, this time was much better.  The first time no improvements or maintenance really was done, and all the the "originals" from when they bought the place were there.  It just looked older.  Way older, and it was sad in a way that you always hope a cherished thing is taken care of.  You know, something you love but can't hold on to.  This time, I was overall pleased. 
Here, for those who can remember what it was, and to document, are some photos of the house I took today while browsing the open house:

This is the main bathroom, one of the major improvements I noticed.  This wasn't fixed up at the last sale, so it must have been the current owners that did this.  The overall effect is a little dark for my tastes, but the new floor, vanity and mirror look good together, and modern.

The laminate floor in the kitchen, living room and hall is new too.  Nice wide planks.  There was linoleum in the kitchen here before, and carpet in the living room.  Again, dark for me, but looks good.  This room was one of my parent's major constructions too- it was once a separate dining room and kitchen- best decision ever to make it into one large room with French doors to the living room. 

This is the new carpet they chose for all bedrooms & basement.  The texture to the carpet was plush and nice to walk on.  I wouldn't have put the combo of patterned linoleum, textured carpet and dark laminate together, but it worked.

This is the living area in the basement.  I spent all of my teenage years down here, as my bedroom was there, and us kids used the basement to spend leisure time.  This built-in is new to these owners too.  There was a very large wood-burning fireplace down here with brick surround.  I think this is a much better use of space and very functional.

I thought this was so funny.  This is the master bathroom.  My mother painted that mirror green, to match the green cabinet below.  Well, they have since painted that below cabinet (it's the same one) a more neutral color, but did not touch the mirror. It made me smile.

When we lived there and well after us kids moved out, the yard was my parents' pride and joy.  As earliest as I can remember, it had corner flower beds, barrels filled with flowers, two apple trees, a large garden for vegetables and raspberries, a picnic table for outdoor eating and a swing set. It evolved to my mother's elaborate limestone rock garden and fish pond that was many years of toil and a hot tub for relaxing. 

Now, it's grass and a tree.

They kept the shed and clothesline.  My mother painted that shed, and the happy face upon it.  It gave me warm fuzzies to see it.  That barrel there in front of the shed is also a relic from years past.

I'm glad I went. The first time I went back, about 3 years ago, I was so upset at the worn-down state of the house and the obvious neglect of the owners selling.  The house looked like it was thrown away and not loved like it was by our family for 25 years.  This time I saw a lot of major improvements that made the house better, and will make others take care of it too. 

This did hurt, though.  These are the original numbers to the house.  They were replaced by light-up numbers above the garage (read: tacky) instead.  I saw these on the front flowerbed edge, looking discarded.  It made me sad, and I can't deny I wanted them to come home with me.  I'll settle for a photo.  

  

 

Dance Finale!

Dance is over for the season, and what a season it was!  It was Erika's first try at a class of any sort, and it was so much fun.  The year ended for dance with pictures and a recital. 
The pictures were last week.  All girlies got dressed up in their costumes and went for group and individual photos.  I haven't seen the photos yet, but they looked like they had a great time.  :)

Then came the recital this weekend.  There's no doubt that I was so much more nervous than Erika was....I was trying to relax and not stress her out!  She was talking weeks ahead about how excited she was to "dance on stage". 

All the younger groups congregated in one very large room to wait until their time to perform.  I was very nervous to leave her there....but my fears were unfounded as she did great and amused herself with the bin of activities they had for the girls.  Again, more anxiety on my part than hers!  I left her there under supervision and made it to my seat a few minutes after the show started.  After stepping on a few toes, I made it to my seat.  Erika's group was scheduled 19th to perform, about an hour into the show.

She did so amazing!  The best, BEST, part was that she was having a blast on stage.  She didn't remember all the steps, but made up for that with great enthusiasm.  I cried through the whole thing.  I'll never forget how much fun she looked to be having. 

Look at that smile!  I just love how she wears her feelings on her face.  She was just so proud of herself, and happy that we were all there to see her.  She admitted to me that she was "a little scared" but then in the next breath asked when we could go back to do another show.  :)  What a fun experience for her!!!!

Dance class was a success this year, and we're already signed up for next year.  (Same class- it's for 3-5 year olds and Erika was one of the youngest).  She couldn't wait every week for class, and that's the way it should be! I'll be happy to sign her up every year for classes while that stays the same. I'm so very proud of my not-so-little girl.   



Running uphill, then falling = June

It's less than 3 weeks until the end of the school year.  I see the light- and it's a little blinding.  So many people lately have insinuated how excited I must be for the summer, when in reality I'm just excited for June to be over.
Now, every June is the same for me.  There is never any slow roll to the school year.  April and May are lovely- the kids are well into a routine, you all know each other so well that merely a look from me can remind them of a rule or routine they missed, you really come together as a class and get some serious learning done.  I want to hold onto those times, and I miss them when they're gone.  June is not like that.  June calender goes up on my wall, peppered with special events written in, and learning is the last thing on any student's mind.  Behaviours come out that I haven't seen before and absenteeism is at it's best.
Of course, there are so many activities and special events in June that no teacher has any real time for serious study as it is.  Field trips, concerts, tournaments, movie days and "farewell" activities take up hours and hours and make it very hard for the students to concentrate on the days and times you still have for learning.  This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have oodles of material I still plan on teaching them.  I survive by weighing down April and May with much Math, ELA, and Science that the students can handle, and saving the lighter subjects and topics for the end of the year.  Still necessary to teach, but best for the June type of learning.

So right now I'm working on travelling uphill, against the wind, trying to teach, coach, and will my 31 students to behave as the class I know them to be. It comes down that I think students "wind up" to summer, where I as an adult "wind down".  It's hard. (Did I mention the reports I'm doing on the weekend/evenings at this point of the year as well?) 

June 29th at 3:31pm, it'll be over, and it's much like dropping off a cliff at the top of that uphill battle.  No slow coast down, no breath at the end.  It's EVERYTHING, then it's nothing.  They leave with a huge cheer down the hall, then there's silence. It takes about a week for me to calm my pulse down and relax.

Dandelions, anyone?

I think that the recent appearance of cooler/rainy weather we had last week was my fault.  It's my fault because I took out Erika's warmer clothes and replaced them with the short sleeve ts and capris.  It happens every time- I just happen to glance at the warm weather attire, and the temperature changes to spite.
Thankfully, I seem to be forgiven and the forecast is once again favorable for the month of June.  My potted flowers survived the 2 nights of frost/frost warnings, and only 1 small basil plant fell victim.  I am faithfully watering before-mentioned plants daily (I KNOW you're reading this, Mother!) and they're doing really well.  Erika helps me nearly everyday too, if only to play in the water spray.
After dinner, Erika and I enjoyed a quick trip to our usual park to get the most out of the warm weather today.  A slight breeze helped it not be too hot, and it was already cooling off for the day too.  It was nice, except for the HUGE abundance of overgrown dandelions and long grass.  Not pleasant to look at, or walk through at all.  As I type this, I'm on hold with 311 to see what they can do about the appearance and condition of the park we love to visit.

A flower among weeds.

Balancing!

After 18 min of holding, I just got off the phone with 311.  They informed me that the park is on a 10-14 day mowing schedule (with all the rain, I guess the grass could just look exceptionally long right now), and that they could log in a report on the dandelion excess.  They also told me that I could wait up to 6 months to see action on this report, as they only spray for dandelions in the spring and fall.  Guess this is city works at it's finest. Not impressed.



May Flowers (and tomatoes and basil....)

This weekend brought a lot of activity, mainly the horticulture type.  :)  A while back, in support of a fundraiser at work, Rick bought gift certificates to a nursery.  We waited until now when the weather was warm enough to use them. I took along my mother for her expertise (I also bribed her by sharing one gift cert) as to what should go in my 3 pots this year.
Yes, that's the extent of my gardening.  3 pots.  Everyone who claims to know me knows that I AM NOT a fan of working in the dirt.  Gardening is not for me at all.  The stooping, the hauling, the weeding,the tilling, no thank you. But I have my 3 pots.  Erika likes flowers, you see. 
So off to the nursery I go, mother and daughter with me.  20 min PAST the south perimeter.  It took me 1h 5min door to door.  Crazy to think that I could have bought almost the same thing at Costco and enjoyed a hot dog at the same time, or at the Safeway parking lot down the street.  :)  But, I had gift certificates, so I went. Did I also mention it was POURING?

I have to admit, Glenlea Greenhouse was bountiful of every type of flower there is, in every color. The prices were reasonable, for a greenhouse.

There were 7 types of basil to choose from for Rick (among other herbs...) and here's 4 that I went with; Italian broadleaf, sweet, cinnamon, and a red variety.  I also got 6 beefsteak tomato plants for $2.35.

 Not bad.

Erika with the Italian Broadleaf Basil.  :)

Loading up the cart with flowers for the pots.  We went with peach geraniums, a spiky grass, an ivy and 2 other smaller flowers in purple and pinks.  My mother was in charge of picking the varieties, Erika chose the colors, and I pushed the cart. 

Admiring the smaller flowers we chose in shades of pink.

All through the greenhouse Erika was told not to pick the blooms, only to look and smell.  She was so good about it one of the owners came over and gave her a geranium bloom. 

She was tickled to have one of her own.  :)

I wasn't able to get the flowers in their new home the same day, but it all came together the next with some cooperation from the weather.  It still needs to fill out a lot, but the end result looks great.  :)  Now I only have to remember to water them.....
$75 plus dollars for 3 flower-filled pots, much basil and 6 tomato plants.  I'm still not convinced, but Erika loves them.