Plantar Fasciitis

I bought new shoes. Same brand I always buy and not cheap. I wore them over the weekend and on Monday. Monday evening I went for a walk with Killian. On Tuesday at work my feet began to ache from the heel up through the arch of my foot. I worked an extra hour and a half on achy feet. By the time I got home I was googling plantar fasciitis, looking for hard rubber balls to roll across the surface of my foot (feet), and doing my best to stretch my calves. Yesterday I worked six hours, went to get an allergy injection, and then visited my eye doctor. (I have a permanent floater thanks to aging...) Last night I iced the worst foot and wore my old shoes to work today. I posted about my "fascist feet" on Facebook and my nurse friend Randy suggested athletic tape. I bought some after work. I also bought some new insoles. The tape feels interesting and seems to be helping. 

PS. Kili found a little nest outside.

I Hear Ya

I drove down to the beautiful little village of Honeoye Falls on Monday morning to meet with a lawyer who graciously agreed to help me with the CPS case that resulted from an incident in our toddler daycare class last February. Thanks to my coworker's attorney, we were able to bring into evidence the video recording of that morning's events. "Inadequate supervision" was the charge. The video is all of one minute long, with a total of 8 seconds elapsing between the child's injury and me picking him up and walking off camera (to the sink and cold running water). 

At the exact moment of the injury I was seating our food allergy child at a separate table, a request from both daycare administration (with a doctor's note) and the parents. I did not fill the carafe with water, or pour it into the oatmeal, nor was I aware of the water's scalding temperature. The water had never before been hot enough to burn a child. I had no reason to suspect there was a present danger.

My coworker felt like her hearing went well and I think mine did as well. Apparently the judge is swamped with a backload of cases and it will take some time for the decisions to be handed down. I will eventually receive a letter in the mail informing me of his the verdict. Sadly, this incident, which will most likely be cleared (although we were surprised by the indication the first time around), left me in a state of hypervigilance resulting in another incident where I (apparently) overreacted to a crayon eating child and in my quest to secure the crayon, left an accidental scratch on the child's neck. This resulted in my termination and a second CPS charge of "maltreatment of a child." I never heard back from OCFS when I mailed in my letter of appeal.

Life has settled. Aside from a painful case of plantar fasciitis, I am enjoying my job at Dunkin. I have the pleasure of interacting with people on a daily basis, sometimes even children. I'm not making a ton of money, but the stress level has been greatly reduced. Besides, I get free coffee and donuts. What could be better than that?

Pictures from my bit of destressing after my appointment. LOL!

On Turning 29

I looked so much younger the last time I turned 29. Counting down isn't working quite like it used to...

I picked up a few hours at work yesterday, six actually, to make up for having the day off tomorrow. I was wished a "Happy Birthday" multiple times, and gifted a beautiful orchid and a mylar balloon by our assistant manager. My sister Priscilla came over in the early evening and took me out to dinner., and Hannah and Sergio served up a delicious Tuxedo Cake for dessert. It was a very nice day.

Late this morning I took the boys out to Tops in Ontario, NY to see the Weinermobile. It was a fun experience, and hopefully memorable. This afternoon my kids and grandkids came for a party, which included kids going in and out the front door all afternoon. LOL! Some years it's warm enough for an outside party, and other ones, like this time around, it's much too cold. The girls made Grandpa's Noodle Surprise and afterward we had grape pie with ice cream. (Do I look fatter to you?)

Tomorrow is my hearing for the incident that occurred at the daycare last February. My lawyer has secured the daycare video footage from that morning and my coworker has assured me that it will go well. I'm looking forward to having this chapter behind me. I have no plans to return to employment in a daycare center. Although there are moments in which I still miss my kitchen job, working at Dunkin comes with much less stress and I love my coworkers, at least most of them. Ha ha!

Signs of Spring

Spring is on it's way and it's already feeling warmer and more hopeful. I took a walk after work yesterday afternoon. Down to the woods at the Dead End, on around the biggest block, and back home again. two thirds of the way around my feet and legs were tired and achy. Once I was back in the house, I climbed up on my bed for a rest. "Hey Siri," i said to my phone on the nightstand, "Set a timer for 45 minutes." And then I went to sleep. Forty-five minutes later I pushed the rest button and slept for another 45. LOL! 

Work is going good aside from not getting full time hours. My bills are paid but saving money is tough when one is living paycheck to paycheck. They keep saying that hours will pick up when business picks up, which was fine in January but is getting old now. I'm hoping I won't have to look for alternative employment.

Welcome to the World

We started the day off with a little excitement... We welcomed a new family member this morning. He was all of the sudden in a hurry to get here, even though he was four days late. (He was due this past Saturday...) This baby took his time, and then took off running. Hannah and Sergio arrived at the hospital at about 5:45 am and by 6:03 he was here!

This afternoon I took the kids and their Abuela to the hospital for a visit. The kids were enthralled with their little brother. They absolutely loved their visit and the baby was so relaxed in their arms. It was beautiful to watch. The only sad part was when we had to leave. (Daddy is staying with Mommy tonight. I'm here at home with the boys.) 

On the way home I said, "That was such a great field trip, wasn't it?"
Killian's answer was bittersweet. “Except when we had to leave Mommy there…" he sighed, “and the baby…” 

PS. 8 pounds 5 ounces, Emiliano Lorenso

Marching Forward (Because it's March, of course!)

I woke up with a stabbing pain in my right shoulder blade yesterday morning. I had a sneaking suspicion it might be related to my slightly achy eyes and sometimes stinky sinuses... but I had fallen asleep in my recliner a couple of times while listening to an audio book... I took some decongestant and vacillated over whether or not to call my favorite chiropractor. I shot him a text message. "Are you in the office this afternoon?" I asked. 

His answer, "Indeed I am!" I told him I would call the front desk and proceeded to make an appointment (which I actually made with him instead through text because the front desk was "busy assisting other patients.") 

Upon my arrival he asked how I had come to be in pain. "I fell asleep in my recliner a couple of times," I told him, "but I also think it might have to do with my sinuses."

"That could be," he answered, and I discovered that shoulder blade pain and blocked sinuses could actually be related. I have long suspected so and was relieved to know that it is not just my imagination. I left the office with a scratchy throat and my sinuses have been draining ever since. (Too much information perhaps.) Honestly, I am grateful. I feel so much better.

Anyway, we're into March, The Home Stretch when it comes to winter. We can expect one more big storm in winter's attempt to hold on, but it won't last. Spring is just around the corner.

(I have to tie my hair up for work. Sometimes I check to see what it looks like back there.)

Shifting Sand

"Maybe this was never the place I thought it was..." -John Pavlovitz

I know this sentiment. I have lived it, both in the church and in my own home. When the life I thought I had shattered and fell away, leaving me grappling with a reality I knew not how to process, I learned that underneath the pretty veneer there is often ugliness and rot. (The old "You can't judge a book by its cover" scenario.) I still find the truth difficult to swallow... just like I did 8 years ago when a dear friend said, of my then crushed reality, "It was always this way. You just didn't know it." Wanting what I believed to be true could never bring it back. My entire world was forever altered. It is impossible to look at people with the same innocence and naivety.

I'm not sure why this photo... It was there, so I picked it.