So: I have promised myself one entry per book chapter read and corrected. I've actually fallen behind: I've made it through 3 chapters, and not posted at all until now. We'll see how it goes from here.
So spring break almost sucked rocks, but not quite entirely.
I got the flu the week before. Only canceled class on Wednesday (if god forbid it happens to you, just STAY HOME, damnit, especially during the early achy stage). I was feeling a bit better on Thursday so I went ahead and got my HSG (at this point any slips in schedule would derail cycle number 5 badly, so driving 40 miles each way with a fever seemed pretty mild). (Oh -- and why is this test part of the current plan? Dr. Data just wanted to check that nothing's odd in my uterus, like fibroids too small to see on ultrasound, or a lurking polyp. No one gives a damn about my tubes).
Both tubes were clear, which made it a much less horrible experience than my first HSG, back in (eeek) late 2002. I went up to our old local clinic. Dr. Brash is long gone, and the doctor who pumped in the contrast dye -- and who maybe did our second transfer there? but who can remember -- didn't take it personally that I'm going to Cornell now. "Say 'Hi' to Dr. Data for me!"
Then Beaker and Miss T. caught the flu too, over the weekend that started break. We'd hoped Beaker wouldn't -- he's missed several colds that came home with me or Miss T. this year -- but no. The flu is bad news for Beaker. Every year he's pre-armed with antivirals, which he took, but he still took to his bed for three days. There's still the lingering lung inflammation, which is very bad. His exercise tolerance is the worst I've ever seen.
We'd been planning to go visit Beaker's parents for the whole week, both getting half-days or so of work done while grandparents and grandchild communed. We hemmed and hawed and coughed through Thursday, when we finally, crazily, set off on the 7-hour drive. Everyone seemed better enough. I took big chunks of Thursday and Friday for grading -- I'd fallen horribly behind the week I was sick, and when I'd been hoping to get caught up -- and then the first half of break had been taking care of sleepy grumpy toddler and achy wheezy dada. Beaker played with a tractor, and Miss T. planted potatoes with her grandpa. There was sunlight and company and laughter. And then Sunday we drove home.
After the 4-day break, my e-mail contained no horrible surprises. (Plenty of continuations of existing stressful situations, but no new ones). And I find myself strangely optimistic, once again, about the book project; that I squeaked out any progress at all during break (feverish toddlers nap more than healthy ones) comforts me.
Life in the next few months will be a marathon leading up to the next vacation -- which will be a week at a cold but pleasant midwestern beach with family and friends at the end of June. Finish out the semester, then do the IVF cycle in late May, then spend a week with the co-authors in mid-June, then, finally, eat strawberries (I hope they'll be in season) and watch cormorants dive with my nearest and dearest.
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