Jewel in a Christmas Mood

This was day one. She was not very patient while we humiliated her by slipping her in her daddy's Christmas stocking (with the Jimmy Buffettesque palm trees).

Unfortunately, like 60 percent of babies born, Jewel has a bit of jaundice. Poor dear has to have her heel pricked at the hospital again today, in hopes that her gut and liver are working more copacentically.

I'm day two post chemo, on decadron and that stuff makes me feel crappy. Two more days of decadron and then the hit from the neulasta will hit. Today has been better with the nausea....so far. We'll see if that continues.

I'm reading a borrowed copy of "eat, pray, love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I like her vocabulary and metaphores. I'm not quite half-way through the book and I want to move to Italy. So far the ashram in India doesn't attract me, but her four months of decadance in Italy seem like heaven. I keep looking at the low, low prices of cruises and wish I could go. But, I've lost my passport and I can't travel while on chemo. I want to see and smell and dip my toes in the ocean....I'd settle for sailing on it right now. Ahhhhh....I suspect even if I could make the arrangements, I'd only get to hold down their bed. Maybe after the surgery. We'll see.

I'm happy that I can read again. For a while on chemo I did not have the attention span, and reading more than a magazine article was beyond me. For whatever reason, I can now sustain my attention and can read books again. I might even have to go to the library soon! If you like reading, you MUST read a book _Water for Elephants_ by Sara Gruen. Quite possibly this is one of my top five books that I've ever read. It's really a wonderful story that while not scary, is worthy of the unexpected turns Alfred Hitchcok would admire. You can not predict the beginning, middle or end and the setting is so unusual I dare you have never read anything with a similar setting! I highly recommend it.

I got to visit with my friend M. who had a double mastectomy on Monday. I expected to see a woman that looked like she'd been run over by a Mack truck. She didn't look like she was ready for a marathon, but she looked damn good, all things considered. It was encouraging to me to see how well she seemed. Very encouraging.