And now we wait. Again.

Today is the “girls’” birthday, ya’ll! Yup, the well-rounded twins, riding high with (apparently) loads of pride (and silicone), are officially 3 weeks old today!! I can’t believe my surgery was just last month and that it’s already officially August? I know I was out of it for a while, but really, August?! Really?

I just wanted to check in with a little update since the last one was Bill’s shortly after my surgery. Speaking of which, compared with the BIG one in February, this one was a walk in the park. I couldn’t believe how much better I was feeling even just one week after the surgery. While I still need some Valium to help me sleep on my back – still no side sleeping for a couple of more weeks – I’ve officially been on only Ibuprofen for probably the last week and a half. Yea!

I’m so thankful this one was so much easier on both of us. I had the exchange surgery on the afternoon of the 13th and Bill was able to work from home on that Friday and following Monday, and was back in the office on Tuesday. First though, he made sure I had lunch and small snacks for the day to take with my meds. He also left things, like my favorite Serendipity 3 tea mug (thank you, Maran and Rob!!) on the counter so I didn’t have reach up to the cabinets. Love that man.

So, yea, all in all – recovery has been good! And they (yes, the girls, so cliche I know, but if you guys have any better “safe for work” descriptions for them, I’m all ears, and, well…boobs) look….good. They really do and they’re looking better each day. The swelling has really gone down, but I definitely wouldn’t mind if gravity decided it wanted to work a little harder and a little faster and really let them “settle in” to their new home sooner rather than later. (I know, me…impatient? I know you’re shocked.) They are definitely riding high (please no Colorado MJ jokes inserted here) and want to make sure the world knows they’ve arrived. Ok, okay, we get it, we see you both! (Slight hyperbole, who me? I know you’re shocked. Again. Seriously, this is only Ibuprofen talking folks. I have no excuse.)

And they are sooooooooooo much better than those expander rocks. So. Much. More. Comfortable.

I have to admit, that first week, I was pretty worried after seeing them. My PS (plastic surgeon) definitely did a very good job with them, BUT could have done a much better job telling me what to I could expect afterwards. I was so anxious when I arrived at my post-op (I don’t think my blood pressure was even that high in February!) as all I was seeing at that time was what I was perceiving to be some major flaws in her handiwork.

Thankfully, she reassured me that what I was feeling and looking at was normal. Many people apparently wake up in the recovery room, can’t wait to take a peek and then start immediately saying that they need to be “fixed”. She relayed that it takes a good six months(?! – again expectations) for them to really settle in and look/feel more natural, etc. I was really surprised and bummed though, as I’d heard from others, that they were pretty much immediately happy with theirs, so it’s likely my expectations were higher than some of her other patients.

This all may be true and had she told me this reaction was normal BEFORE the surgery, that first week would have been a LOT easier for me. I freely admit, there were some tears, not all of which could be blamed on then Dilaudid. But, unfortunately, I don’t think I’m done yet with the surgeries. 🙁 We’ll see how it all plays out in the next six months, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have at least one more surgery to “tweak” things. Definitely a couple (ha, ha, see what I did there) things that I’d like changed. We’ll see what can and what maybe can’t be done in a couple of months. So again, we wait.

In the meantime though, I’m just happy to be feeling good and starting to feel more back to normal for the most part. It will definitely take some getting used to them, but I’m hopefully optimistic about my future with them. And, in the next 10-15 years, I’ll need to have them replaced anyway and upgrade to the new & improved models they’ll have then, too.

And, I’m really happy that we’re getting away for a little post-surgery celebration vacay this weekend. We’re heading off to a wellness resort, which we’ve never done before, but sounded like the perfect way to decompress and reflect on the many changes that have taken place this year. Especially for me. Physically, of course, but emotionally, as well. We’re hoping it will be a nice mix of “drop & flop” by the pool, some relaxing spa time, a little light yoga, hiking, some different types of mediation practices and for the hell of it, we’ll throw a little celestial alchemy journeying in there, as well.  (Curious? Well, you know that’s what killed the…oh, never mind.) Oh, and we’ll probably throw in a cocktail or two for good measure. Can never be too careful, ya know. ;-D Can’t tell you just how lucky we feel to be able to do such an excursion.

Thank you so much again for your sweet cards, texts and emails during the last couple of weeks. ❤️❤️❤️ You guys are THE best. Truly.

Re: the photo below. I stopped to take a break during my walk this am and sat down on a bench to catch my breath a bit. When I went to get up, I looked down and saw this little sweet surprise. I love this town.

Oh, the girls already are and I most definitely plan to, as well, little green rock. Thank you for the reminder and stay tuned.