Rejoining civilization.

Yesterday was a difficult day for me. I had a bad case of the chills and it lasted longer than any other episode so far. I really wanted to take SS to the Exploration Park, and just get out of here. But I was feeling lousy and did not want to admit that I should stay home. Again, my outlook and P's were at odds. P was annoyed at my insistence that I would be OK to go soon, and reminded me for the umpteenth time that "It has ONLY been one month since your guts were turned inside out, a chunk removed, your colon rerouted and attached to your torso. It's only been three weeks since you left the hospital. CHILL!"

My POV is "OMG, it's been a whole month since I had the surgery, I have been home three weeks, and have accomplished nothing." P grew tired of attempting to reason with me and tried to get me to lay down upstairs. Nope, to do that would be to admit that I needed rest and what I needed was to be out and about. After an hour of bargaining, P walked over and told me he would nicely escort me upstairs and tuck me in, or SS would get an earful. One look at him and I realized he was serious. I did not want to get into a silly power play in front of SS, she's been through so much, so I caved in. But not before giving P the dirtiest "I almost died and this is how you treat me" look. Oh yeah, it is so not beneath me to pull a stunt like that. Thank G0d my kids do not take after me. :) P was right, I needed some rest, actually slept for almost two hours. No outing for sequestered SS.

Mami called me Morivivi, because I used to get nasty high fevers as a child, and bounce back in no time as if nothing happened. She would have been proud of me today. I was determined to get us out of here. P suggested Thai for lunch and SS and I quickly accepted. Come on, rice and noodles, yum. My first lunch outing post op, and I did very well. During my previous outings I relied on P or JJ for support, and walked very slowly. After dinner we went shopping, walked around the Mall and took SS to the indoor playground. We were gone for almost five hours when my body let me know it was time to return home. It felt really good to be out and about, and walking at an almost normal pace. Another baby step.

SS ready to chow down on rice and Pad Thai noodles.

SS quickly reached for the check. She is such a generous child.

The thrill of victory; SS was faster than Baba. The owner got a kick out of it when SS said, "Sir," and handed him the bill and credit card. It is really scary how meticulously she observes our every move. SS is now a pro at making deposits through the ATM at the bank. We are working on whispering, since she recognizes the numbers on the keypad and enters my PIN.

My baby treated me to lunch.

SS found the right sunglasses to match her outfit.

This evening I dumped close to 300 pictures and videos from my iPhone. As I was looking for the picture of SS with the sunglasses, SS excitedly said, "Mama, look, Mama," while pointing at the netbook screen. She then asked me to "go back Mama." This is the picture that caught her eye. I don't recall taking the picture, and I was most likely having a good time with Mr. Morphine Drip. A reminder that children not only absorb everything around them, but do remember.