I've been thinking about this for a while, but recent assaults on BC have given it a fresh impetus.

Back in September 2008, I had a Mirena IUD installed. It's due for replacement in September 2013.

Tom recently had a vasectomy, but I still want to be on additional birth control of my own when my current IUD is up for removal. I come from an annoyingly fertile female line, vasectomies occasionally recanalize, and if raped I'd rather reduce my chances of needing to decide about an abortion.

I've been torn between either getting a new IUD, and getting sterilized by the Essure method. My research indicates it's safe, effective, and if not precisely easy, no worse than IUD installation.

Unfortunately, the Essure website's "find a doctor" app seems broken.

I'll probably talk to my doctor about it when I go in on the 23rd, but I suspect Tricare doesn't have much truck with anything but tubal ligations, which I'd rather avoid, and I'd like to start planning this sooner rather than later. While I technically have over two years with my IUD, Tom's planning to do his year-long remote deployment to Korea in January 2013. I REALLY do not want to be undergoing a medical procedure that may call for having another adult present to drive me there and back, at a minimum, when he's in another country.

I emailed Essure's webservices contact email. All I can do now is wait, for either the website to work or my doctor appt. Sigh.

I am officially befuddled

Right behind the schoolbus dropping off my boys was a FedEx truck, delivering flowers addressed to me.

I initially assumed it was a random moment of awesome from Tom. Before we lived here, he'd just stop at a store on the way home from work and grab some flowers, but since we live in base housing and there's nowhere on base that sells flowers, even in the 24-48 hour crunch before Valentine's Day, other measures are required.

I was incorrect.

Return address is the flower company.

Card inside says merely "Love, Mom and Dad".

NO indication whatsoever as to whether this is from my estranged parents, or from my in-laws.

Either way, the timing's wierd. Valentine's Day is next week. My birthday's next month.

It COULD be a salvo in Mom's passive-aggressive "I'll ignore you telling me not to contact you unless I agree to meet you halfway in addressing our mother-daughter relationship's problems, but I'll do it so gradually you'll have to cave in" campaign. But it could just be my MIL being awesome and the flower company getting the timing off for Valentine's Day.

I have no freaking clue.

I cannot WAIT til tomorrow

We have some friends, who have babysat the boys before, coming over from 2 pm Saturday til mid-day-ish Sunday. We've reserved a hotel room, and plan to go out to a nice dinner, do some mini-golf, have dessert at Coldstone Creamery, and generally relax.

After a day like this, I could use it, and so could Tom.

The morning started off with a very disgusting emergency bath and room cleaning for Mark. Tom helped with the initial drudgery of scrubbing down the room until he had to go to work; I've been grinding through the laundry ever since.

Then there was the befuddling flower delivery.

Then I got a worrisome call from one of the aides in Mark's classroom. She wanted to ask if we were absolutely sure there wasn't anything else Mark could have for snack besides his beloved tomato triscuits. I explained that, while there are other foods that satisfy his allergy requirements, he's a very finicky little boy and tomato triscuits are the most consistent thing he's willing to eat that doesn't require actual cooking. (Well, also potato chips, but those are very definitely a sometimes food, not suitable for regular snacking.)

Apparently he's been spelunking into the garbage can and trying to steal thrown-away goldfish crackers, and has even eaten one or two before the staff can stop him. Ms. Walker wanted to know if we were sure he couldn't have those, since he hadn't gotten visibly sick after eating them.

::rubs temples::

Yes. We're sure.

Every single variety of Goldfish crackers has milk in it. Even the kinds that don't have cheese listed in the name. They won't send him into allergic shock like peanuts will, but they will give him a tummyache, and larger quantities will make him sicker.

We're sure. We're not just being whimsical.

Once I calm down, I will write an email to his teacher, and cc his school district OT and our private ABA therapist, explaining politely but emphatically that it is important he not be permitted to sneak other children's snacks or get into the food garbage. I will also request that they start noting these incidents down on his communication notebook. They've gotten diligent about noting when he hits students and staff, since that PTC in December, so adding this in should be no trouble. I want to be able to correlate sneaking allergen-containing food with when he gets gastric problems.

Tom's issues relate to having to scrub feces off of walls, and general work-related problems, so he's as eager to get this weekend away as I am. Sigh.

We owe Matt and Joyce big-time for this.