The Fabulous B@ker Blog

Not much going on here in the Bakerblogosphere. The kids are away at camp and school, we go to work every day, come home, eat dinner, walk the dog, maybe watch a little telly before turning in. Kinda boring. There is no vacation planned to speak of, with the exception of a quick long Vermont (YAY!) getaway weekend for our anniversary in mid-September, followed by girls weekend (double YAY!) in Lake Placid the weekend after that. I don't even have the benefit of seeing Annalisse very much when she's home from camp on the weekends since she's was gone most of last weekend and will not be home at all this weekend. Blah. Perhaps there is something unexpectedly interesting and exciting on the horizon?

Life seems to have finally returned to "normal." I'm back at work, Mark has resumed occasional travel to his project in Denver (he was gone this week), Annalisse is away at her summer camp job, and Cam is in his apartment near RIT, doing summer research and taking a class. A couple of months ago I didn't think life would ever feel normal again. I had cancer, and my future treatment was uncertain. I would be undergoing a life-changing surgery, and had no idea what the recovery and treatment, if needed, would be like. Everyday I remind myself how lucky I've been to be able to come out on the other side of my recent crisis with my health intact. Not to minimize the suffering of those who have gone before me (or who will come after me), but I think of myself as a healthy person who had a cancerous growth in my breast, had the growth removed, confirmed there was "nothing else," and am now moving on. My breasts were a small sacrifice, a no-brainer, when it...

Something happens to people when they sit on my porch. Their eyes begin to glaze over and their muscles relax. They exhale deeply and melt into the cushions of the chair or couch. They talk about the old-fashioned qualities of such a quaint neighborhood, and how people don't really talk to their neighbors anymore... isolated in those big suburban housing tracks within the fortress of their big McMansions. It reminds me a lot of the move " Field of Dreams ," where the idea behind building the field was to bring back a simpler time, when folks enjoyed the all American game of baseball (well, that's not why the field was built, but I won't spoil it for you if you've not yet [unbelievably] seen the movie). Remember this classic line? This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. Today,  I head back to work after 3 1/2 week...

Tomorrow we are heading up to Mary's for our first (and what we hope will become an annual) "Wallstock" BBQ and camp out. With Mary's new home (which is a great party house) and their cabin in the woods there is plenty of room to spread out and camp. I, however, will not be camping since that's not my thing. Mark and I will stay in the house and leave the "layin' on the cold, hard ground in a tent" to the youngins. I've even created a t-shirt for the event that reflects what has become our family motto: Let me explain. My parents came from blue collar, working class families and neither graduated from high school, which was not totally unusual for those days. There was much you could do in trades and industry/manufacturing, and folks could get by with the lower cost of living back then. So, while my father loved us dearly and wanted us to be the best we could be, educational expectations were never super high. Occasionally, when someone wo...

First things first: the drains are gone. Glory Hallelujah! Regular clothes again! I went for my second "fill" this week, and it was exponentially better than last week's fill. I think it's because I took a muscle relaxant this time and he didn't fill them as full as the first visit. When the filling is complete is up to me, when I can look in the mirror and say, "Okay, that's good enough." Of course, contrary to popular advice, I will not be going for the beach ball look, but COULD if I wanted to. Power!  The doctor said that after I'm done filling, the "exchange" (procedure to remove the expanders and add the actual implants) could take place three weeks later. HURRAY! Maybe if I'm done filling by the end of July or August I will be done with this by September ~ just in time for girl's weekend. Fingers crossed!! The other great news is that my pathology report came back clear: there were some abnormal cells that ...

Fork to mouth, fork to mouth. Homemade berry pie with what has to be some of the best crust I've ever eaten. Paprika chicken with cous cous. Gluten free meatloaf with gluten free pasta salad. Lasagna. Tortellini soup. Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings. Pasta with eggplant marinara. Grilled chicken with BLT salad. These are just some of the amazing things friends and neighbors have brought for us during my recovery. My neighbor, Stephanie, arranged a meal sign up for Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, and it's been amazing. I'm a little afraid to step on the scale (so I won't), and also feel a little guilty having folks brining dinners when I'm feeling so well (I suppose I'll have to get over that). In addition to the outpouring of food, there have been random treats in the form of baked goods (the aforementioned pie, for one), flowers, Edible Arrangements (four of them!), and other kind gifts. Just another reminder about how blessed I am...

My recovery is going very well, except for the nuisance of the freakin' surgical drains dangling from my body (which, most of the time, are pinned to whatever pants I'm wearing). Eleven days post-surgery and the fluid from my surgical area, while greatly reduced, is still not "clear"(still too much blood/pink) enough to justify the removal of the drains. DANG. While I've been able to shower and carry on normally, I've had to continue to wear baggy, long t-shirts and still can't sleep on either side. As a result, by 4am my back is totally aching and I have to spend the rest of the night (or early morning) sleeping sitting up. Oh well, in general I am feeling very good so this is all really a minor inconvenience. This week I also had the first fill of my "expanders," which are expanding my skin and muscles to accommodate the eventual placement of my implants. Wow. Was that a difficult and uncomfortable experince. I seriously wondered if I would b...