Mystery Diagnosis & Florida Fall Season Yachtie Hell

George is now in London to be with Michelle and Caitlin during Caitlin’s mysterious medical complications.  Caitlin is in the hospital in London… again.  She has mono with an enlarged spleen, a throat infection, something going on with her kidneys and bladder, and a possible cracked rib.  We’ve decided she should be on the show “Mystery Diagnosis”.  I’m dying that I can’t be with her, but thankfully her father is with her and Michelle now.  Ironically, this time last year, Alexa was hospitalized with a severe kidney infection and after numerous painful and invasive tests, was diagnosed with grade 4 VUR.  I suspect Caitlin has this condition as well, but it was never diagnosed.  The treatment is usually surgery.  She sees a Urologist Monday.

To add to all this worry, a certain someone is putting extremely unrealistic and impossible demands on us financially and refusing to discuss it which is causing suffocating amounts of stress.  I don’t want to get into it in a blog, but I couldn’t help but to mention it since it has been like a disease enslaving most our thoughts and the culprit of many sleepless nights for a long time now.

With half our minds injected into our personal stresses, George and I have been so swamped with work.  George has been nonstop working in Spain and I have been nonstop working in Florida.  In between my chaos emergency graphic design projects, I worked the Rybovich crew party on Friday, the National Marine Poker Run Saturday, the SeaKeepers Party Saturday night, the Yacht Chandlers Party Saturday night after the SeaKeepers party, and the Dolphins game today.  I miss my little girl.  Thankfully I was able to take her to the game with me today, but tomorrow starts another day of chaotic fiasco Florida fall season yachtie hell and I have an Accounting Class starting tomorrow night as well.  Sadly, as I look ahead to my week, Tuesday night might be the ONLY night I will be able to tuck my little girl in bed until next Monday.  I’m heartbroken about this.  To make matters worse, we will be on week 2 of her not seeing her Daddy at all.  I miss my baby… both of them!

Two Saturday's ago Beach Morning while Daddy had to work

Visit in Texas with Cousin Ava (right) and friend Emily (center)

A goofy close-up in the Executive Box Seats at today's Dolphins/Steelers Game

Cheering on the Dolphins!

Spread Thin and Burning the Candle at Both Ends

I can barely breathe from stress and I my neck is so kinked up I can’t move my head without sending shooting pains up my neck and down my shoulder blades.  What’s causing this? A whole lot.  My poor mother and Caitlin are both very ill and I am worried sick about them.  Caitlin has mono, again, and her spleen is leaving her in pain and weak.  I feel horrible for her.  My mother is ill from a fevery sinus infection and some weird eye infection that looks really scary and feels just as bad as it looks.  And since Alexa and I have been around my mom, I’m worried about Alexa too.  I’m in Texas for a few days trying to visit with my family and friends before the boat show chaos starts, but obviously picked a very bad time to try to squeeze in a family visit.  How awful is that to even write?  “Squeeze in a family visit”… into my busy life… how horrible.  Family is everything!  So why can’t I tell my other obligations to fuck off?!?!  Or at least tell them to lay off a little bit so I can visit with my family every so often.  In between hours here and there visiting with family on this quick 3 day trip, I’ve been working like a mad woman on all these emergency graphic design projects for work.  I’ve been so busy trying to balance my poor sick mom, family visits, and work, I haven’t been able to visit with any friends.  Spread thin and burning the candle at both ends, I feel like I can’t give any part of my life my all.  Alexa and I fly back to Florida Thursday morning and I dive head first into the chaotic fiasco of Florida fall season yachtie hell.  Oh, and I start classes again on Monday.  I’m not sure how I’m going to possibly do it all.

Speaking of being separated from family… George is in Spain until next Tuesday.  Check out the picture he emailed me of the view from his hotel room.  “MUST BE NICE, GEORGE!  THANKS A LOT FOR THE NICE PHOTO OF YOUR PARADISE!”  All sarcasm aside, George works his butt off, never taking a day off, and deserves to have a party filled golfing work trip in gorgeous Palma, Spain for a week… I just wish Alexa and I could join him.  Instead, I’m going insane with trying to balance waaaaaay too much!  Too much work and not enough time in the day (or night).  Too many bills and not enough money.  Single yachtie mom-ism, but not being able to devote the time to Alexa that she deserves. Too much gross food and not enough exercise.  Too many ill loved ones and not enough time to be with them.  I’m drowning.

Now, let’s turn this around and upside down… life is peaceful.  Everyone is healthy.  Money is flowing freely and easily.  All bills are paid and debt is erasing.  Life is peaceful.  Alexa is happy.  Our family is together and our love for each other flows freely.  Fresh fruits and veggies are abundant and exercise is plentiful.  Life is peaceful.

Amazing sunset at our home a few days before our departure

First Day of School

Yesterday was Alexa’s first day of school for three whole hours without mom, (really two hours since I stayed with her for the first hour), and she despised it, or so she lead me to believe so.  “What’s up with this sitting down while I drink my juice crap” she said to me with her teary eyes and quivering lip.  “And where are you going Mama?!? Don’t leave me in this ‘dreadfully’ bright and cheery place with three other happy kids my age and loads of new toys to play with!”  Her “Day in Review” says “the most exciting part of my day was using glitter to decorate autumn leaves, music class, and the playground.  I loved the slide, five little ducks song, and building with soft blocks”.  The theme this week is learning all about autumn.  There’s a different theme each week for the kids to learn about.  When I picked her up, the Director was reading her a book and told me how Alexa loved playing instruments in music class but refused to wear her pirate hat.  With teary eyes, Alexa punished me by ignoring me for about 5 minutes when she saw me and her little lip quivered for the first half of the car ride home.  She doesn’t understand why I did this to her.   It was heartbreaking.  Despite her glowing “Day in Review” obviously she had a rough few hours and shed many tears.  A big part of me feels awful, like I’m breaking her spirit or abandoning her by bringing her to this school.  However, although Alexa doesn’t agree, I am confident this is a choice school.  Each day she will not only develop social skills being around other children her age, but this school also teaches language (English & Spanish), sensory/science, math, creative expression, and fine/gross motor skills.  Depending on the day, in between playground time, snacks, naps, and lunch, the kids her age attend media class, gym class, music class, center time, group circle, and art class.  Her 18 month old doctor’s check up (3 days early and accompanied by painful shots in her yummy thighs) prevents her from attending school today.  I’m sure after this morning’s doc appointment Alexa will think I am on a mission to torture her.  Beginning October 26, she will begin school three full days a week.  For now, it is little bits of school here and there so she can become familiar with everyone and everything.  Although I love my job, I can’t help but feel a little resentful about being forced to work so much.  I miss my baby already.

Balance...

What a gorgeous 10.10.10.  A little fun in the sun and waves Saturday with the fam, a delicious Saturday night date with my husband (the first since Valentine’s Day), a lovely Sunday brunch in Weston at Jenna’s, and a Sunday afternoon stroll through Mizner Park made for a wonderful weekend.  Now, a dose of bad news… Caitlin’s been sick trying to deal with shitty London health care while George and I helplessly await updates via bbm.  We are worried sick about her.  Alexa and I both caught a cold this week, but we seem to be on the mend.  I’m insanely swamped with work, but procrastinating in order to squeeze out a quick blog update.  I’m severely struggling with balancing work, school, mommyism, house wife “work”, exercise, sleep, bill management, and other financial obligations.

Essentially, in order to cross off at least a few items on my daily to-do list, it looks as though I’ve been forced to temporarily suspend my blogging, sleep, and apparently all forms of exercise.  Although I am frantically fighting full burnout, I see light at the end of this insane sleepless unbalanced tunnel.  After interviewing 10+ pre-preschools and 12+ potential babysitters this week, I finally found a suitable fit.  Finally, I can begin to achieve the balance in my daily life that I’ve been longing for and maybe even be a Super Mom who actually sleeps.  However, due to the fact it is Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show month and I start classes again later this month, the sleep still may not come for a while.  After this weekend I will most definitely have to pull an all-nighter tonight in order to get my work done for Monday morning.  This scenario will repeat itself numerous times over the next three months, but Alexa starting “school” part-time should help alleviate some stress.  Although, I’m going to miss my little munchkin dearly while she attends school, I think school will be good for both of us.  Maybe in between work and classes while Alexa is in school, I can squeeze in some runs again since I am supposed to run another half marathon November 14^th.  Alexa’s new schedule: Monday mornings Alexa has music class… Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Alexa will be in school… Friday will be our girlie day (unless I have to work an event)… and Saturday am Alexa has swim class… Sunday is fun day with Mommy and Daddy (when Daddy is in town).  Actually next Sunday Alexa and I fly to Texas for a few days and Daddy goes to Spain.  The Sunday after next Daddy will still be in Spain.  And Alexa isn’t really starting school until October 26^th… Then it’s boatshow… why am I even trying to make a schedule?  S-s-s-s-Supermom who?

Rainbows

I started this blog site with every intent to write in it almost daily, yet it’s been September 17^th since my last confession.  Why have I slacked so badly?  First of all, my distance is due to the fact that I have been a single mother with full-time jobs and no babysitter or family to help for over 2 weeks.  (The joys of being a yachtie mom who lives far away from family).  I’ve also been overwhelmed with emotion about the sudden loss of my good friend’s sweet, free-spirited mother.  A remarkable young mother of only 60 who had an amazing life forced too early to leave behind 4 beautiful children and her loving husband of almost 40 years.  She sent her beautiful daughter, my good friend, a rainbow the other day.  And not just any ole’ rainbow… one that stretched from end to end over the ocean, bright and clear as can be.  “For you my love!  Mua! Mua! A rainbow for you!”



"Boozing" it up before heading out



Amidst the crazy work hours and this heartbreaking tragedy, I’m still determined to show Alexa the time of her life, daily, through 1000’s of kisses, hugs, and “I love yous”, and also recently kiddie playdates, a walk for farm animals, cheering at the Dolphins/Jets game in executive box seats, seeing most of “Sesame Street Live” at the theatre, and dancing to some tunes in a tot music class.  Her smile, her laughter, is my reason for living.

Daddy came home Wednesday night.  Yaaaay!  Alexa and I are thrilled to have him home.  Now if my damn work would leave me alone for at least half a day so I can spend some time with my family, that would really be nice!  I think I’ll be playing hooky this weekend (at least during the day while G and Alexa are awake).  A family Saturday picnic at the beach and a BBQ football party with friends at our house on Sunday sounds really perfect.  Oh, and I’m running a 10K Sunday morning to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club.  The weather looks like typical South Florida weather.  Maybe sunshine, maybe some showers… Maybe, we’ll see a rainbow.





"Dolphins Party is Suite'r" Go Dolphins! (Too bad they lost)

Don't mess with my "Tofurky"!