Right so…
Hey, how about them joints?
Have been doing a lot of research and tomorrow am booking an appointment to do some testing to see if I have That Other Kind of EDS, because I do have some symptoms of that as well. The really bad kind. What I have is just bad, there is a really bad out there too.
But in the meantime, I’m off to London today for a full-day meeting in what I think and hope will be my last business jaunt to London for Dream Job. The world is spinning, life is moving, and my last final interview is on Friday, so by this time next week hopefully there are more options. Even if not, there is at least one option – I have an offer. I’m outta’ here.
So since my head’s a bit screwed up and I’m off to London still a bit dozy from bad dreams and my babies are chatting and giggling upstairs and oh my God does train travel stress me out and do you have any idea how underprepared I am for this meeting today? I’m taking an easy way out.
You know so much about me.
Tell me something about you.
If you want, that is.
It’d just be nice to know something about you, there on the other side of the screen.
-H.
Go on – just watch this for the NSPCC!
Make me feel loved! Go on! Sign the Guest Map!
Hi Helen — It is so nice for you to ask about people reading your blog! I never really got into blogging before reading yours, although now I am requiring that my students create one together, so go figure. Yup, I’m another one of those academics, and a new mom whose tenure clock just started ticking. The biological clock had already been ticking for a bit — I’m 40.
I began reading your Twisted Ovaries blog right around the time you learned you were pregnant with your beautiful lemonheads. I was just beginning to wonder if I might be infertile or subfertile at that point, but got pregnant a couple of months after you did. I’ve been following your pregnancy and the continual blossoming of your babies — and you — ever since!
After their birthdays I thought I would stop reading your blog, but I felt like I should say something to you first — it seemed so rude to leave without saying good-bye! I appreciate your willingness to follow your dreams full force. Career, novel, babies, relationship, blah blah…It is impressive!
I wish you and Angus the best — I always thought that your home renovation efforts were such a beautiful, tangible metaphor for reimagining and rebuilding your lives together as a couple with four children instead of two.
As for me, I gave birth to my daughter via Cesarean last December, moved from California to Wisconsin with my tangodancing husband in early January (when everyone wants to move to Wisconsin), unpacked a few boxes and began teaching at a university in my version of Dream Job.
I appreciated having your blog as a companion to my own childbearing experience, Helen, although our experiences were different, and am glad that your babies are so healthy! My pregnancy had a few twists and turns as well, and there are still some concerns about my daughter since her head circumference is much smaller than average (think it dipped below the 3rd percentile mark at her 9-month visit). So we may be worried for a while, but she’s already started walking at 10 months and is meeting all of her other milestones, so we are hopeful that all might be well after all. Don’t know why I felt the need to share that, but I think I may really may be logging off for good now, so maybe I just need to squeeze it all in.
Farewell and best wishes!
Tangomama
Hi Helen – have read your blog for a long time and it’s my first stop every morning. A latte and your blog is my morning wakeup routine.
I live in Tracy, CA, USA with my husband of (not quite) 19 years and my two sons, ages 15 and not quite 18. I work in Education as the Chief Business Officer for the school district we live in. I love my job and I LOVE working only 1.5 miles from my house. After years of commuting an hour plus each way to my former jobs, I love working where I live.
I am blessed to be in a wonderful marriage with my best friend. I love my kids more than anything, though the teen years are challenging and leave me shaking my head in complete and utter shock much of the time lately. Where did my ‘babies’ go?
I have followed your story for years and feel like Nick and Nora are my niece and nephew, in many ways. I am still a bit stunned when I realize those aren’t their real names. Nor is yours real. I feel like I know you all.
I have emailed you on occasion and you have written back and I always feel honored.
My hobbies are blogging and reading blogs, playing games on my computer and reading. Oh, and I love a good nap on Saturday afternoons between 1PM and 3PM. I also love to garden and play with my dog, Chloe. Or commune with my cats, Klink and Snow.
I pray for you and your family everyday – not because I perceive you need prayer, but because to me, you are family – and so I add you to my nightly prayers for happiness, health and just hanging in there.
Hugs to you all,
Mindy in Tracy, CA
Uhmmm, something about me?
My wrists and hands are super flexible (I can pull my hand flat against my forearm), my left knee dislocates once every few months and I can bend in strange ways. Now I’m wondering if I should talk to my doctor about it. Heh.
I’m mostly a lurker here, although I really enjoy your writing.
I like chocolate way more than any normal person should, I eat would eat fresh peas by the handful if I could and cheesecake makes me swoon.
Oh and I always over think my comments to the point where I am loathe to comment, just in case I sound like an idiot.
Something about me …
I don’t often have time to comment but I read a lot. It’s amazing how well a bottle can be propped up by your chin.
I am a mom of 6. I totally blame you and N&N for the triplets.
I’ve been reading you since I was holed up in my bedroom after Ethan died. Via Plain Jayne one way or another. I’ve been cheering for you on the sidelines make believing we’re totally BFFs or something.
A friend at university (the second time around) introduced me to my husband. I don’t know how he puts up with my shit, but I eternally thankful he does. I never thought I’d marry a mechanic of any sort. If I ever did picture myself getting married it was to a guy who went to work in a suit every day. Sometimes my husbands daydreams about going to work in a cubicle. I think he’d go insane and probably hand himself with his necktie – although he does look sexy as hell in one.
I am trying to get over issues of not feeling “good enough” for things such as friendship. Facebook freaks me out sometimes. I wish I could get over my fears enough to message all of the “friends” from high school that have added me but I worry I was really never their friend to begin with.
I need to find a new therapist who works nights since I am pretty confined to my house.
I think I am too self centered and have no problem writing a novel about myself. *cough*
Me? Found your blog by clicking on your link in a comment you wrote on someone else’s blog. No idea whose, I often get completely lost in the blogosphere. I blame Julie of alittlepregnant, whom I found about 3 years ago googling some IUI-related stuff, while living in the US temporarily as an expat’s wife. No working permit myself. Hence the spare time to spent 2 whole weeks reading all of Julie’s entries from the beginning.
3 years on, back home in the Netherlands, and after a second IVF attempt mother of healthy 10 month old boy/girl twins who were born 2 months prematurely (boy, was I glad I’d read Julie’s blog. I would’ve been completely lost in the NICU without it). They are currently rolling all over the livingroom floor breaking things as they go. Hence the spare time to write this comment. Will stop writing and click “post” when I hear a loud bang followed by screaming (possibly in stereo).
Started 3 different University degrees (Biology, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science) but didn’t finish any of them. Uni was clearly not meant for me. Did however enjoy assisting with courses I’d completed. More fun to teach others than to be taught. And it’s said to be the best way to learn, anyway…
Now busy setting up “shop” in our garage. Will be making wooden and/or painted decorative items for nurseries, portraits, other things to celebrate new life, and maybe some wooden toys as well. Will see how that’ll turn out. Don’t expect to make any money with it. Will be completely satisfied if it just enables me to make lots of cool stuff for our twins. Who cares if other people buy it, too?
*grin* My son is currently chasing a round wooden toy-frog around the livingroom floor. He’s gone all around the couch and is working his way around the coffee-table right now. Won’t be long till he hits something solid. The wall. Or his twin sister…
Will be writing a children’s book about life in the NICU. A good friend will paint the illustrations. She is a terrific painter. And a terrific friend. She also has premature twins. I am a collector of “friends with twins”. Have collected 6 so far. 4 of whom I was already friends with before I ever got pregnant. How’s that for coincidence? Considering I have a grand total of about 8 friends, I’m not doing too bad on the “with twins” department…
Bang…!
Three, two, one…
I
I don’t know so much about you…. i found you on flickr just tonight, after searching for photos to do with crying… wondering if i should be so vulnerable and post a photo of myself crying, curious to know and see what has been posted..there you were, a beautiful photo of yourself, crying, so being more curious and drawn in by your photo… a few clicks later i found myself on your blog, at this post… i was not going to comment… it’s just like me, to come and be a great observer, but silent, then i clicked on your about me page…more curious…and we share a birthday. i am an april fools baby, too, just two years difference…. so here i am, telling you a little about me. i wish you well and thank you for sharing…
When I read this post the other day I began crying. I did not understand why and went to bed with tears. (oh the drama!) But I knew these tears had to be for a reason. Why would I cry because someone has asked about me?
I am a wife, a mother, a worker who provides for coworkers, a friend, a volunteer, but all these things that define me are my role to others. I put others before myself. So when you asked about me – as a person – I am so defined by others. So the tears.
But not such a bad thing. I like what I do, I know I am a good person, but I need to take care of myself. What a hard thing to do.
I also tend to hold things in and then something small happens to crack the dam. Like this post!
As you can tell I have issues, but the internet is a wonderful place that reminds you that you are not alone.
I’ve commented a few times, but I probably still count as a lurker all in all. I’m a 28 year old living in Sydney. I’ve just finished my PhD (my reports came back only a couple of weeks ago, and I am still walking on sunshine as a result – I had never believed that they would be positive, and they are positively glowing…). I live on my own, which is heaven after too many share houses, and although my space is small, it’s mine and I love it. I teach cultural studies to undergrads, and at the moment I’m convening a course for third years (that’s the final year of a bachelor degree, here). I love love love teaching, at least this semester: my students are bright and interested, at least for the most part, and watching their ways of thinking about things shift is heavenly. I write a lot; not just academic stuff, but crappy fiction too, alongside the occasionally-neglected blog. I dream of doing a post-doc overseas, but I need to get my butt in gear as far as publishing goes (articles and – gulp – the thesis, transformed into a book) to make that possible.
I’ve been reading your blog for two or three years now. Sometimes it makes me cry, often it makes me smile, but most of the time it makes me feel weirdly close to someone I don’t even know (and who doesn’t know me). Sometimes I wish I did, because there are times when your self assessment seems so mis-matched with the reality, I want to slap you over the wrist. Lacking grace? I think not, midear! :-)