Rich has been having some problems with his foot.  He hurt it quite a while ago at work and it seems to be getting worse.  He finally decided it was time to go see the doctor since it had been over two years since he originally hurt it.  It’s best to make sure there is really a problem before you head to the doctor you know.

Anyhoo- he went to the doctor who referred him to a foot specialist.  So, last Monday we all went to the foot doctor.  Yes, all three of us went.  (Please tell me, is it only my husband?  Or do your husbands beg you to go with them if they have to go to the doctor?)  Keeping Hailey occupied in the waiting room is not fun, but that is another story for another day.

And so.  The foot doctor made this special little foot thingee for Rich to wear.  He’s been wearing it for a week and it has actually made his foot hurt in a different place.  So, Rich asked me to call the doctor for him (because- goodness gracious- we wouldn’t want him to call himself).

On Wednesday we went to see the foot doctor again.  Hailey and I waited in the car this time (with the DVD player).  Rich came out not too long after looking quite white.

“I passed out.”  He told me.

“Are you serious?  Are you okay?”  I asked him.

“Well, I almost passed out.” He responded.

It turns out the doctor told him he could choose surgery or a cortisone shot.  Rich thought he’d go with the shot.  Apparently the shot was quite painful.  On his way out of the office, Rich started to feel hot and dizzy.  The receptionist was trying to get some information from him for his next appointment and Rich told her how he was feeling.

The doctor heard what Rich said and came rushing out and told him to lay down on the floor.  They gave him a chair to put his feet up on because they were worried he was about to pass out.  They kept him for a while and the doctor checked his pulse and made sure he was okay before he let him leave.

So, while he didn’t actually pass out he felt bad enough that he insisted that I drive home because he was not feeling well.  He emphasized that this was the very reason why it is important that I always come with him for appointments.  Because you just never know.

For the rest of the afternoon and evening Rich continued to tell me how I could not possibly comprehend the pain he was in when the doctor gave him the cortisone shot in his foot.

Finally I said, “You know what?  I think I can imagine pretty severe pain.  I have a feeling that giving birth probably hurt more than your cortisone shot.”

“No,” he replied, “I think the cortisone shot probably hurt more than giving birth does.  After all, giving birth did not cause you to almost pass out.”

Excuse me?  What do you think ladies?  Are men really that wimpy?  While I do think that the shot probably hurt quite a bit, I don’t think it can compare to labor.  So- if there is a woman out there who has had to endure both kinds of pain- please do tell…. which is worse?

That is the number of times that Hailey asked me today, “What’s that?” 

I’m sure she is just getting me ready for the days when she will be constantly asking me, “Why?”

The day was going perfectly according to my plan. And with a 14 month old- you know that is a rare occurrence.

We spent the morning playing in the playroom. After a quick morning snack Hailey went right down for her nap and slept pretty well. She even ate most of the grilled cheese sandwich I made for her.

I got Hailey dressed in her Christmas dress and off to the mall we went.

We arrived at the mall and there was only one person in front of us waiting to see Santa.

“Things could not be going any more smoothly.” I thought to myself with a smile on my face.

I KNOW- I can hear you all laughing at me right now and saying to your computers, “Oh, you poor foolish lady. You know you should never have thoughts like that.”

So, then one of Santa’s helpers came over and said, “Santa is going to take a little break. He’ll be back at 2:00.”

I didn’t think that was too bad- only a half hour away and I had shopping to do anyways. So, I got some shopping done and at 2:10 we went back to see Santa. But Santa was not back. Well, I figured that maybe Santa was having a hard time finding a place to park his reindeer. I mean can you imagine how difficult that would be? So I decided we’d give him a few extra minutes.

At 2:30 we went back again to check. Still no Santa. So, I asked one of the helpers when Santa would be back.

“We’re not exactly sure where Santa is or if he’s coming back.” She told me.

“Oh?” I responded.

“Here’s a coupon for a free 5×7 if you want to come back tomorrow to use it.”

We waited around until a little after 3:00, just to make sure. But Santa never came back. (Can you blame the poor guy though? I mean really- can you imagine doing that job all day?)

The next day was much too snowy and we did not go back. We made it back two days later (and- yes the manager did let me use my coupon). Hailey was so excited when she saw Santa. She waved and said, “Hi, O-O-O.” (her way of saying “Ho, Ho, Ho”)

When we got a little closer to Santa she started to dig her fingers into my arm. And when she sat on his lap….. well- I’ll just show you.

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