Good News (and a few frustrtions)

This weekend has been a mixture of both good news and a few frustrations. The best news, of course, was delivered by Robby's pediatrician. I am so happy to report that Robby's blood results came back declaring him healthy and strong!  Although I hate that he has to be on antibiotics for a UTI, I am delighted to be able to remove diabetes from the scope of possibilities.  I know that both Scooter and I have been able to sleep better since receiving the news from his pediatrician.

After attending my first Back to School Night as a parent Friday evening, Robby and I headed up to PA to visit my Mom. I haven't seen her in a few weeks and was eager to witness the progress that she has made in her recovery.  Because we were getting a later than usual start because of the school function, I was hoping that we had avoided rush hour traffic.

It is 125 miles from my home to my Mom's driveway. Typically, with normal traffic, it takes a little over 2 hours. On Friday, leaving after rush hour had been declared over, it took me a whopping four hours to get to her house. Robby was a trooper and kept his complaining to a minimum until he finally fell asleep for the final hour. Needless to say, we didn't visit much Friday evening. I carried Robby from the car and put him into his bed. I took Tylenol to treat the traffic headache I had developed and followed him to the bedroom within minutes.

Despite the traffic and the extraordinary long drive, it was great spending time with my Mom. I marvel at her recovery especially since it is only two months since the bilateral knee replacements. She's walking without a cane now and, other than her slowed pace when walking, there are no visible signs that she is recovering from a major surgery. She is in pain, but the degree is lessening now and is dependent upon her activity level. I am so proud of her for working so hard despite the discomfort and pain!

Sunday morning Robby and I woke up and headed home. Thankfully our trip home was non-eventful and we arrived on schedule. We unpacked the car, Robby and Scooter began to play a Wii game, and I settled in to work on a report.

To my frustration my computer would not start. I plugged it in, and the charge light does not illuminate. After holding to speak with somebody in the customer care department for an hour, the representative (in her infinite wisdom) diagnosed the problem as "unknown" and recommended I send it to California for repair. When asked how long the computer would be out of my possession, I was informed that I should anticipate being without my device for 6-8 weeks.

When I scoffed at the time frame quoted, I was encouraged to take my computer to a local repair shop. Of course the warranty would not cover the repairs, but the work would be done quickly and I would have my computer back by the end of the week. Begrudgingly, I feel like I have little choice but to pay to have the work done locally. I rely upon my computer too heavily to be without it for two months!

In the meantime, I've repossessed Robby's computer which is nothing more than our antiquated laptop. Many of the keys stick because of the crumbs that have become embedded by my little guy happily chomping on chips and crackers while watching YouTube videos. The quotation key is missing because my niece inexplicably pulled it off a few months ago.  The screen is covered with smears, and the touch pad is sticky. Despite all of these issues, this old computer has one glaring benefit right now: it works!

Sometimes I really hate technology.