more downsizing

Ok, so I downsized from a big, hurkin' Suburban to a minivan so I can park in this big city (and still be able to put a child in a car seat safely).

This week, I also downsized from my big ol' jogging stroller to a regular stroller. I scrolled down craigslist many times and kept trying to find one within 20 minutes of our temporary home (how temporary will be discussed below). There were so many EVERY DAY within an hour or two of this place, but not so many within 20 minutes....but, I found one and now have a regular stroller!!

Only now, it's not so much smaller, and it might not be the answer I was looking for. I've got a very active, fragile child to place in it, and not having straps over the shoulders to completely hold the child back from jumping out might not work so well. I'll give it another day or two, but hopefully it'll work. It's a whole lot easier to steer in the hospital.

On the way to find the stroller the other night, we were driving to a different area of the city we're in, following Mapquest's directions and we found some awesome finds!! A big neighborhood library, with a doughnut shop right next door!!! Plus, there was a bake shop across the corner from that!! Of course, you can't have a library without a doughnut shop, right?! We're thinking we should pitch that idea to our real home's city council for the property they bought right next to City Hall...it'd be a great revenue generator.

Ok, for the temporary status. I found out today that we'll have to be here for at least 8 more months. I thought it would be like 6 now, since we've been here a whopping 2 months already, and said as much to the nurse practitioner today. She said, Oh no (not dreadfully, but in a matter-of-fact tone), it'll be more like 8 more months. She then proceeded to make a copy of the rest of the treatment road maps and wrote on the sides how long each should take. My calculations were that it would be 10 more months, actually, putting us here until NEXT NEW YEARS :(

Andy's having a really hard time with that.

Oh, and since I don't want to have a dental emergency and not have a provider (dentist) for the children or me, I went to my temporary dentist today! Yay. The children will see theirs in another week or two. Not many people have temporary dentists, do they.

But then again, not many people are temporarily displaced from their home for this long. At least we have our needs met, and we have a proven protocol to follow. We aren't living in a natural disaster zone, we don't have an unfamiliar cancer, and we weren't given a terminal diagnosis.

We have met families this week who are dealing with a sudden liver transplant need, then transplant within days, a baby born without a working heart so a Berlin Heart was placed until they can get a transplant, an extremely rare form of childhood cancer with a tumor blocking leg function, and many others. So, even though we have a yucky diagnosis, things could be much worse. And, we aren't as far away from home as Chicago, Hawaii, or Alaska.

I think it's still time to go shopping...wait, the immunity numbers are dropping and I won't be able to go out much very soon. Have fun at your local mall for me!