Natural Processes of Aging

It's funny, isn't it - when we are young, birthdays take forever to get here, and we certainly look forward to them - whereas now, I just feel old. Maggie had certainly been looking forward to her birthday forever before it got here last week. We've had three celebrations so far, and the biggie - the one with her friends will be here this weekend.

For the big day, Jerry took off so we could have all day to concentrate on Maggie (although she had school, so he and I also ran around looking at houses and having the car serviced.) We started out by loading up in the car and heading to the donut shop, where we picked up 31 donuts with sprinkles and delivered the birthday girl and donuts to her classroom, where she shared them with her classmates. After the girls got home and did their homework we headed to the restaurant of the birthday girl's choice - Cici's Pizza. Then we headed home for the yellow cake with chocolate frosting that Maggie had requested. Since it was a plain cake, we used special candles that spelled "Happy Birthday!". This caused a funny moment when Nana and Granddaddy called. Maggie was telling Nana about the cake, and Nana asked, "How many candles were on your cake?" And we all answered - "Fourteen!" There was a long pause before we explained that we lit only the correct number. Here's our birthday girl:

Our next event on the birthday list turned out to be a bit different that we planned it. This past weekend we took the 100+ boxes of Girl Scout cookies that we sold to people in DFW and headed down the road. Both Grandma and Nana decided that since we were there, they wanted to have a small party for Miss Maggie, so the Saturday Plan was:

1. Have a party at GGma's with cousin Korbin
2. Zip to Granbury to deliver cookies to Mimi and Pepaw
3. Back to Nana's where we'd have another party with our friends the White's and Moudy's in attendance.

However, what happened was:

1. Arrive at GGma's and get the table set for the party
2. Spend two hours at the Harris Methodist Emergency Room for my racing heart that wouldn't slow down
3. Back to Nana's where we had another party with our friends the White's and the Moudy's in attendance.

Definitely not what I'd had in mind when I started my day.

It was very odd. Mom and I had just set the table, and I was throwing away the packaging from the paper goods, and my heart just started going very fast - like I'd just run up several flights of stairs. I sat down, but it didn't slow down, so Mom and Grandma had me lie down on the bed and they called my Aunt Mary (a RN.) They were on their way, and when they got there a few minutes later, it still hadn't slowed down, so Mary sent us on to the ER. When we got there it was still going pretty fast, and they called me in very quickly. It was zooming along at 148 beats per minute, so they hooked me up to an EKG machine, and took a bunch of blood, and a chest x-ray, but then it stopped as quickly as it started. All of my test came back normal, so they gave me a diagnosis of SVT and a beta-blocker to keep everything on an even keel, told me I wasn't going to die today, but that I needed to go see my regular doctor in a timely manner for follow up.

We headed back to GGma's, and Mimi met us there since I was in no shape to drive to Granbury, and we did cake and ice cream. The girls had a good time playing with their cousin Korbin, and didn't seem too concerned about my little episode. Maggie had come in when I was laying down and asked why I was lying down, and I told her that my heart was beating very fast and put her hand on my chest. She said, "Wow, that's fast," and skipped off to play.

After cake and ice cream we headed back to Nana and Granddaddy's house for our third and final party. I was a bit fatigued - after all, my heart had just run a 5K even if I hadn't, but Nana took care of everything and I took it easy. It was good for the girls to play with their old friends. We had a good time chatting with everyone. Here's our group:

That's Sammy, Miranda, Gracie, Olivia, Maggie and Elliot on the couch.

One of the cards Maggie got on a gift was one that played music - the "Once Upon A Dream" waltz from Sleeping Beauty. She kept opening it and dancing around the room, so I grabbed her and did a waltz, with her holding her dress in true princess fashion. Elliot wanted a turn with the princess, so I showed him how to put his hand on her waist, and they waltzed around the kitchen. It was too cute. When it was time to say good-bye though, and everyone was giving out hugs, Maggie dragged Elliot around the corner to give him his hug goodbye. I was peeking through the kitchen pass-through to see what this was about, and I asked her later why she needed to go to the other room. She said she wanted PRIVACY! I explained that she was not at the age where she would need privacy with a boy - that doesn't happen until you are 30 at least!!!

The next morning we got up and headed back to Oklahoma. When we got home I got a stern look, a "How dare you!" and an "I don't like it" from Jerry - as if I did it on purpose or liked it! I spent the entire day Monday calling doctors offices and finally found one that took new patients and was willing to see me quickly - this Thursday in fact. I'm telling you, this part of getting older is a real drag!

We did go to Maggie's well-child appointment today, where, when asked about eating nutritious food, Maggie told the doctor that "I like sugar!" and informed the doctor that she didn't brush her teeth last night. Yea. Once again, the position of mother of the year is up for grabs. She is officially 48 pounds and 49 inches tall.

Also on the medical front, my sister saw her doctor this morning and was in labor, so baby niece Simcik should be here any minute! Can't wait to meet her!