6 Wks

...Post Op.
I've made it!
It's been SO hard to not lift my little guys for this long, even to just give them a 'boost' into their car seats or onto the couch or my lap. But I've been a good girl. Followed Dr's orders. Taken it easy. Gotten out of housework. Sneaked in a few naps as recently as this past week. I guess it hasn't been all bad...
I guess I shouldn't approach the 6 week mark as instant approval to lift furniture, 50# bags of rice, the overstuffed sack of clothing still sitting in the corner of our closet awaiting donation, or other heavy items in the house. My evening swelly belly probably wouldn't like it too much.
Menopause at 33 pretty much stinks. By what others have said, it sounds like it does at 43 or 53 or (?) 63 too, but I can only go with my own experience here. I am cold most of the time, interspersed with oh-so-lovely hot flashes. Mostly at night. When I would like to get some sleep. I'm convinced that has something to do with my recent habit of forgetting what I was saying mid-sentence.
Now why am I posting this?

Beauty of Summer

Today, I would have to say that this is my favorite time of year. In the fall, I will probably say the same thing. But today is definitely making me smile.
The boys are growing, growing, growing-physically, mentally, spiritually, and in personality. I have loved spending time with each of them, learning about each of them as individuals. They are alike, and yet so unbelievably different and unique from one another.


Kalvin is the meek and gentle one in the house. He tries to please at every turn. He is a thinker, an analyzer. There is well thought out reasoning for everything that he does. Kalvin loves to read. And give hugs. He has got to be the friendliest kid I have ever known.

Yes, he is wearing snow boots. And yes, he dressed himself today!

Xander is on the go all the time. He just loves life and has to live every moment of it to the absolute fullest. The multiple times we've gone to the doctor for sutures or to treat a broken arm are proof of it! Sometimes we wonder how much he hears or takes in, and we are always pleasantly surprised when he asks questions or comments about spiritual matters or other serious subjects. He really does have a strong understanding of such things, even if we don't always perceive it.



Talmage is our big teddy bear. He knows he is tough. He comes across as tough. But he also has a very sensitive side. He picks up on visual cues of others who are hurting or sad and will give a big hug to make it all better. His smile lights up a room instantly.


We have had the most unusual weather this summer--thunderstorms every few days. But the sunsets...Oh, the sunsets are amazing when the sky has cleared partially by the evening. The landscape has remained rather green, and combined with the coral sunsets and the dark blue clouds, it is breathtaking.



Growing a garden this year has been difficult due to the ever present rain, the 2nd week of June blizzard, our already short growing season, etc. But we have managed to start reaping the benefits somewhat. Tonight we had roasted veggies: yellow squash, zucchini, beets, onions and potatoes from the garden, combined with red pepper, asparagus and baby bella mushrooms from the store. Yum.



And although they are not "local", these peaches from Washington are pretty darn good. Especially for homemade peach ice cream.

Recovery Notes

As noted in earlier posts, life for us has been downright stressful this past week. Yet I've been a really good girl the past three weeks. No lifting or carrying anything (unfortunately, though, this has also included my cute boys). No vacuuming. No driving for two weeks. No housework. Basically, I've just slept, walked around, eaten, read books, or sat and painted the mural in the office waiting room.
Pain meds were discontinued about four days ago. And I had only been taking them in the evenings the preceding week. I have felt stronger this week, and have finally been able to give up the forever long midday naps.
Alas, I think I over did it today. I have felt so good that its hard to remember to take it easy. But I'm paying for it tonight. My back really hurts and I have quite a bit of lower tummy cramping and pain. I didn't think I had done too much, but evidently I was wrong. Guess I'm back to being 'lazy' again. Oy. It is so hard to see all that needs to be done at the Strawhouse and our house and not be able to do any of it. Frustrating!

Inspections, inspections, inspections!

What an absolutely crazy day! And I thought Matt was stressed out last week-hah! Seriously, it was a very nerve wracking day. Why? Because if we didn't pass inspections today, then we couldn't start seeing patients tomorrow as scheduled.

Yeah, we started thinking this morning that that was probably not the best way to go about having a first official working day with patients in the office. So we did a bit of fudging and were able to shift out working days from Tues-Thurs to Wed-Fri. Normally, there would be no way to feasibly do this, but we got lucky-it is GA (general anesthesia) week. Which means that we only have 4 patients a day instead of 40-50 patients a day. So rescheduling this week was still a viable option for us, thank goodness.

What did a day of inspections mean for us? What didn't it mean?
First, the architects came by around 10:00. They started the "punch" list for things incompleted or not done very well workmanship wise. There wasn't anything of serious concern, but definitely some cosmetic issues such as areas lacking caulking, a few "butchered" tiles around outlets in the bathrooms, etc.
Then came the mechanical and electrical engineers. The building has been rather warm in some areas. The air system had not be "balanced" yet and it could definitely be felt. The mechanical engineer made some suggestions, and within an hour, the hot spots were cooling down.
The fire marshall arrived at 11:00. If we didn't pass his inspection, then nothing else mattered. Well, we didn't. At least right away. Some extinguishers needed to be moved or replaced. Signs had to be placed on the medical gas room doors. A couple of emergency lighting units were not working and had to be repaired. And a few more things. But we were able to call him back later, and we passed then.
Plumbing inspections have been a bit tedious. First, we had to have a second party verifier come in and do his own inspections on the medical gas and piping systems. He came and did so on Thursday last week. Today we had the city inspections. A few minor blips that were resolved on the spot, and that was also a pass. Tomorrow, we have the state medical gases inspection. It should go easily since the verifier already passed us, but there's always the chance...
Electrical passed. No major issues there.
City inspection went alright. There are still some things that need to be addressed (such as railing around ventilation units on the roof).

But we did get our temporary certificate of occupancy. Via phone. At 5 pm today. Whew!

And here's what the waiting room mural looked like tonight:

Friday at the SWH

Countertops were put in on the rental side. This is the drink/prep bar downstairs. The countertop flips open to access the bar.

Wet bar upstairs.

Plant fossil in slate tile.

Shower in private bath. Seems like a really good showerhead. It will be fun to actually try it out. The tile in this bathroom is now officially completed.

Matt picked out the sink. Kind of different, but fun. I still need to plaster the room, but everything is functional, so it can be used anyways.

Mostly sky and ocean left to paint. Can I finish it this weekend? Sure hope so!

Thurs. at the SWH

The SWH side yard/street view. The entrances are to to the rental side of the building. Grass started to poke up today!

The parking lot is finished now. Crushed asphalt was laid and compressed today over the unpaved areas, so no more dirt and mud puddles to walk through now.

The triple sink was brought in for the kitchen. We have to have one in case we decide to get a permit for commercial kitchen use. For now, it's just a really oversized and over-equipped staff room!

The surgical suite is set up now and ready to christen this coming Tuesday- general anesthesia week.

Wall sconces in Matt's private office. They have cut bamboo rings embedded in them. Matt placed 15 watt bulbs in them so that they are more like strong night lights. Very calming...

Two of these wall sconces are in the recovery room. There are also regular overhead lights in there, but for the most part, the sconces will be the ones used. A bit friendlier on the eyes of those coming out of anesthesia.

This is looking down the back hall. Pic taken from the side wall. The digital xray computer station is out of view and behind on the right. There is a door (can't see here) on the angle that enters Matt's office. The slider on the left is to the recovery room. The adjacent door on the angled wall is to the surgical suite. The door beyond it, also on the left, is to the supplies room. Directly ahead is the doorway to the kitchen. On the right side, you can see a window in the wall. It is part of the sterilization room. Beyond, there is a walk thru that goes between the hall and to the operatory/main room. Further down is a doorway to a bathroom, then a back door to the receptionist/front office. Admittedly, the hallway IS huge. But we had the room, and it makes it easier to maneuver wheel chairs and other equipment around easily.

Taken from the same spot as previous pic, but looking towards the right. Here is the xray computer desk. The entrance on the left is to the sterilization room. Looking ahead is to the main operatory.

The previous couple of pics were taken standing in this area. The opening to the left goes to Matt's private bath. You can see slate tile in the background. Next to his bath are two connecting rooms that contain his compressor/vacuum system and then the medical gases.

Looking at the xray stations while standing in the main operatory area. If you walk to the right, you enter the main hall seen before.

The main operatory room. There are six chairs in here. Behind the pic is the xray area. The sinks to the left are the brushing station. The walk thru to the back hall is just beyond the sinks. The slider door on the left is to a pre-med room. This is where the kids will be given sedation medication and monitored until they are ready to be worked on. The door just beyond is to the reception/front office. The doorway straight ahead goes to the waiting room.

Standing in the waiting room by the front desk. The doorway ahead enters the operatory. There will be frosted glass in it. The doorway to the left enters the consult room. That room has the large glass block wall.

The mini-me door in the waiting room. It goes to under stair storage.

Standing in the entry. The blue thing on the wall is an acoustic sound panel. Obviously, the front desk. There are sliding glass panels. When they are closed, it really controls the sound between the waiting room and the office.

Good news again on the construction front today.
The medical gas line/plumbing inspection went very well-PASS!
The tiling is completely done in Matt's bathroom.
Mirrors and other accessories put up.
The range hood in the kitchen was given a thorough cleaning by a professional cleaner.
Construction equipment was moved out.
The parking lot was completed.
Trim work on the rental side is now about two-thirds completed.
Fire alarm and sprinkler system finished and tested.
Three bathroom sinks found and ordered. Should arrive next week and will replace the wrong ones that the plumbing supplier sent. Luckily we have what we need to pass inspections in the meantime.
Computer training continues...
The wall mural in the waiting room is three-quarters complete. Ocean, sky and palm trees still need their color.

Ready or not, inspections are coming on Monday and patients will be arriving on Tueday. Yikes!

Tuesday at the SWH

Pics coming later.
Again, lots more accomplished:
All the dropped ceiling panels (acoustic) were placed. What a HUGE difference in the sound! It is significantly quieter throughout the building now. Also lightened the rooms, as the light bounces off the white.
Matt's desk is now put together in his office. Our friend RJ is going to start working for Matt and he came over this week (he and family live in Kalispell right now) to help with the move. Lucky for us, he is also a woodworker on the side-he was able to fix a split that we found in the desk.
The tile wainscot in the private bathroom is now done. The shower is just about completed as well. Just needs cleaning and grout now.
The dental working units are almost all hooked up. The assembly of the remaining dental chairs is almost complete as well.
The medical gas lines are pressurized and seem to be holding steady. That was a huge relief. No gas lines, no dental office! The special inspection for these lines is on Thursday. Odds and ends plumbing work continued.
Training for our new software program began today. Yep. Right in the middle of all the construction. As the training started, glitches started popping up on our network. The poor IT guy was scrambling around all day to trying figure things out. Evidently, the computer we have at the digital xray station is too schmanzy for the xray software drivers. We actually have to get a downgraded computer so that the digital system will work correctly. So much for trying to go higher tech!
Kalvin came up with some drawings that can be projected onto a wall in the back delivery room. He is going to try painting his own wall mural. The current pictures include a beach scene or an alien attack. The alien drawing is so far winning. To be decided soon...