Frozen doors, cold walks and barium...

I walked out the door today and it was c-c-c-cold. The sun was shining so I was a little misled as to the temperature outside so I decided that it would be a good idea to walk Miss Lily to school and then head down to my "Great Adventure". The Great Adventure meaning an Upper GI series to help diagnose the revolt in my belly (reference blog post: http://blueallieboo.blogspot.com/2008/12/body-revolution-epic-battle.html). What a wonderful way to start a day!!

Miss Lily and I slept in this morning so we ran around and got ready to leave. She ate her breakfast while I brushed her hair and we both got dressed in a tizzy, throwing on whatever was on the top of the clean clothes pile. Little Miss and Little Man Meatball stayed the night with Big Cranky because of my test this morning so I didn't have to worry about rushing them along. If they had been home, there wouldn't have been any hope to get out the door on time.
Anyway, Miss Lily and I got our winter protection together and went to go out the door but, to my suprise and dismay due to already having Miss late for school, was that the door was frozen shut. So there we were, Miss and I standing there trying to figure out how to get out of the house. Then, I saw a lightbulb over my little girl's head and with a big smile she says, "Mommy, get the blow dryer and melt the door!"

My baby is brilliant!! That's exactly what we did. She held the blowdryer and I yanked and yanked on that damn door which I'm starting to consider to be one of the bains of my existance. I've been looking into becoming a Buddhist so this thing is going to be on my list of things that I need to put out of my mind. Yes, I do think about that door quite a bit, it's scary when you're stuck in the house but then I was thinking about coming home and what would happen if we got stuck on the step. What would we do then?? I don't carry a blowdryer wherever I go, it's only a small purse and I have it crammed with papers and wallets (yes, that's supposed to be plural).
We did get the door open and off we went. I dropped Miss Lily off at school and I headed down to the hospital so I could drink yucky stuff and get x-rayed to death. It was very Arctic-esque out there today and it didn't matter how bundled I was, there was no way I could fight that kind of cold. -30 degree windchill and there I was, like a complete boob, walking in it again. Doesn't matter, I wanted to clear my mind before I got there because all these tests are scary for me now. It's getting closer to finding out what's going on with my evil belly and, in my typical fashion, my brain goes to worst possible scenario.

The walk wasn't too bad actually, cold and bitter but sunny and oddly pretty. I made it to the hospital and got myself registered, put on my beautiful johnny shirt and robe, walked into the waiting area and sat. I looked around and marvelled at how the brilliant orange plastic chairs set off the decor by complimenting the plushy, artichoke green ones and how the out of place wingback brown faux-leather chair with the tear in the seat hid itself in shame in the corner pulled it all together.

The nurse came out with that knowing look on her face, the impending doom and handed me to large cups full of thick, white, chaulky nastiness that smelled oddly good. She told me to drink it as fast as I could and let her know when I was finished. That was the hardest thing I ever drank, it was horrible...it was barium. Ick. After that fiasco that I don't even want to attempt to describe, I had an x-ray every fifteen minutes for the next two and half hours. It was crazy and boring and a little weird to be sitting there waiting to lay on my belly, hold my breath and have pictures taken of my insides...wheee!!

When it was all over I got dressed and left the hospital, walked home in the freezing cold but not before checking out deals in the Bargain Shop where I bought two good books for the kids for less than four bucks. Then I left and got Miss Lily at school and off to home. We got in the house, stripped off our winter clothes and then crawled under the blanket on my bed to read our new books and keep warm. Little Miss and Little Man Meatball came home after supper and my babies all kissed and told each other that they missed one another. It was an okay day, not bad at all.

Spending the weekend with just Lily and then watching those little bugger reconnect reminded me of the important things. Thinking about all the possible results that could come of these tests made me think that I need to cherish them as often as possible.