The Clinic Chronicles: Part 6

Keeping The Bean

“It’s going to be okay.” The doctor said as she patted my hand. “Just keep on drinking the medicine and taking it easy, alright?”

I just nodded and thanked her as Mr. F helped me out the door. I wanted to escape so badly but needed to keep as much dignity I could muster.

Can you imagine how it’s like to swing from ecstasy to utter despair in the space of a few minutes? I could be schizoid for all I know, but given the circumstances, I would have a legitimate excuse. I now felt like a baseball bat walloped the back of my head, my throat was too tight, and my heart was too big for my chest.

It amazed me how these doctors could take on that kind of responsibility. They literally have their patients’ lives in their hands. They could make or break a person with a few words.

How do they handle it, facing mortality every day?

I think Mr. F and I just went on home afterwards. It was exhausting: exhilaration and the dregs in one unbeatable combination. We just ate something to dull the headachy feeling and talked.

We knew we wanted to keep the Beanie Baby, as the sprout was now called. I’ve stopped smoking (cold turkey since the day before), stopped drinking (last drop of alcohol was the week before), and we agreed that I’d have to stop the helter-skelter pace of my work life.

Curled up on our comforter, we cover random stuff, basically musing about how we would be parents. I wondered which of us would be the disciplinarian and the devil’s advocate. Of course, Mr. F claims to be the spoiler.

“You would be the Supreme Court. I’ll be the Court of Appeals!”

I scoffed at Mr. F. Right. Like that’s going to happen.

Nevertheless, we still felt depressed about the news the doctor gave us.

Scraps Away!

My name is Laya and I am a Scrapaholic. (Hellooo, Laya!)

This happened beacuse we just had way too much footage of Oona being the triggerhappy proud parents of this little girl. We hardly knew what to do with the batches of pictures we accumulated.

Later on I was just surfing through some arts and crafts websites when I came across digital scrapbooking. Needless to say I started right away, combining templates gathered from all over the net, my own stuff and my Photoshopping skills.

Now I am proud to announce that my new Scrapping blog's up! Visit me at Scraps Away!

Yes. I am an addict. Back to my Scrapaholics Anonymous meeting.

Busy Bee Mommy!

8 July 2008

I.AM.UP.TO.MY.EYEBALLS.IN.BUSY.

Nope that wasn't a typo. The BUSY symbol has been permanently attached to my YM since time immemorial (a little over a month ago). And there's no chance of it ever coming down.

Poor excuse not to be writing in but there it is. I am near to being sick of the sight of a computer monitor. But must make time for this every once in awhile!

So...updates, updates! Rewind!

A month or so ago: I used to be Assistant Studio Director for a nice little art services studio. Then I am not. The particulars, which would be savory tidbits for industry gossip over coffee, cigarettes or whatever your favorite poison would be, will not be aired *here*. I haven't been sufficiently provoked...yet. So no evil laughter inserts at the moment.

So career-wise, I have reincarnated in the space of a month from being ASD to my old favorite: Troubleshooter (which is what an ASD is, only I get to work in my pajamas). I wield a mighty pen tablet over Photoshop these days than the almighty memo. I worry about color than the million managerial worries that used to plague me in my old life. I am doing color for comics and flexing long unused Photoshopping muscles to help jumpstart an old dream. And yes, busy up to my eyeballs, sick of my monitor, the seat of my pants acquiring the general shape of my office chair, and on top of that, I'm SO loving this.

It was hard working for someone else's dream, but it's harder working for yours.

With my former boss, we're putting up a little something. We figure we're too old and ornery to work for someone else again and it was the universe telling us to materialize our dreams now instead of putting it off. No time like the present and all that. So officially, we put up our OWN little art studio and I'm ASD still. Unofficially, I'm put wherever I'm needed. Troubleshooter. I'm not much into titles but I'll take that anytime.

Other than work, I play with Oona, go out on occasion on dates with the ever lovable wise-ass Mr. F and assorted family and friends, catch up on reading, binge on episodes of Bones and reconnect with the human race. I find that I really like the respite from two years of stupid office drama and politics.

But busy is still busy does, believe me. Nowadays since we're starting up from scratch, I only have two times: Work time and Other time. Work is work and Other is the category wherein everything else that doesn't involve the computer falls under. It's a strict rule. It's like leaving work at the office. Only I work at home, so a little mental adjustment will have to do.

Hopefully soon I'll have more time to invest in Other time when things get better with Work time. Oona's growing up so fast and I'm nowhere getting any younger. But...Konting tiis na lang. Just a little bit more patience.

Such is the price of dreams.

My First Tag!

28 April 2008, Thursday

Things are getting heavier with my posts lately so I thought something light should provide the proverbial breather until the next "heavy" post.

My on-line soul sistah Mec tagged me recently with the "Desktop Tag". Tags are FUN. Tags are the computer age's Getting to Know You/Show and Tell game. I lurve games! *heart*

So here's my desktop!

1. My desktop has a downloaded wallpaper called Digital Love. I used to have my hubby's face plastered on the screen but it was hazardous to my health as I kept getting caught staring at it like a lovesick teenager on weed. I'll never get any work done if I had my drooly little baby's picture either so I was safe with an abstract representation of the loves of my life.

My icons are on the left side (yep, your left) and my PostIt Lite notes are haphazardly posted all over the majority of the upper right.

Not really very neat, but I know where everything is.

2. Yes. At the moment, I have a bazillion windows open: surfing, email, IM. It's not half of what I usually have open. It's a slow day today and my eyes are a little tired so I don't have Photoshop open. I just finished typing up stuff so I just closed Microsoft Word down.


So there, my work desktop. Later I'll post my home desktop, Mec! :) I tag the few bloggy friends I have: Jonas, Caroline, Johnny, Yaz, Mommy Pheng, G&Chief and Kitts for when they're not saving the world from monsters and they're looking for something to do.

Pislabenrakenrol!

The Clinic Chronicles: Part 5

The Delicate Balance

I was giddy seeing the bean for the very first time.

I forgot about everything else: the thing stuck in my insides, my nerves, my fears. All I could think of was, “That’s our baby! We have a baby!” I was still in shock, but I was now happy shocked.

“Is everything alright with our baby?” We asked excitedly.

“Well, let’s have the doctor interpret these images for you, okay?” the nurse said.

Blissed out, we were content.

Back in the good doctor’s little office we went to wait while she signed for the ultrasound images.

“Well, congratulations! You’re going to be parents in roughly 8 months!” she grins.

”You’re four weeks along and the baby seems to be holding on.”

We beam at each other. We beam at her and back at each other again.

“However…”

However?

There’s a however!?

“We need to put you on this medicine. Do you see this dark area here…and here? There shouldn’t be any. It means the little place where your baby is living in is not fully attached to your womb.”

And that meant?

“We need to help the baby attach more firmly or we could lose it.”

Whoa.

I couldn’t breathe. I think I crushed Mr. F’s hand but he wasn’t saying anything. I didn’t want to look at him at all.

“It isn’t your fault or anything. This can be brought on by the holiday stress, your travelling, work…there’s a lot of factors involved so we really don’t know what caused this. It just means we have to take it easy and be careful from here on.”

She began writing a prescription but I was barely listening.

I thought it wasn’t going to mean much. I honestly thought I was afraid to have the little bean. Now that I’ve seen that it was growing in me, I felt more afraid of losing that little pulse beating in my belly.

“So don’t drink, don’t smoke, watch what you eat, sleep early and lay off the stress. We’ll keep you on this for two weeks then you come back to me and we’ll see. Okay?”

Mr. F answered for us both. “We’ll see you in two weeks, Doc.”