Pins and Needles

Echo gave me quite a scare on Friday.  Two sewing needles that were left in the middle of the coffee table were suddenly missing.  All that was left was half of a needle on the rug.  After frantically looking everywhere, the needles were nowhere to be found, so my only conclusion was that Echo had swallowed the needles, but the only way to confirm was to take him to the vet for an x-ray.

Here he is on my lap while I was working from home.  Is he trying to tell me that his tummy doesn't feel good?

After two x-rays, it was confirmed that he indeed swallowed the needles.  You can see one of the needles at the bottom right.  Luckily, the needles criss-crossed so they didn't move into the small intestines

 

The doctor referred us to a specialist who would perform an endoscopy to retrieve the needles.  Echo is reluctantly anticipating the procedure.  Little guy had to be knocked out for about half an hour.



Success!  This is everything that was retrieved. 

My Buddy & Me

I am hideous in this picture but I thought it was too hilarious not to share.  Don't judge, you know you sleep with your mouth open too.  ;) 

My Mother's Daughter

My Mom is a superwoman.  Not only did/does she work 6 days a week (7 during the holidays), she never failed to put dinner on the table every night and manage our homework while we were growing up.  On Sundays, she would be a chore machine, cleaning the house from top to bottom, grocery shop, then cook and clean in the evening.  My Dad on the otherhand would turn on the TV once he got home where he would remain the rest of the evening and on Sundays, aside from dim sum, would be consuming every sports game broadcasted.  I never understood how my Mom had the energy to work nonstop, I mean, even when all I did was lounge around on a Saturday, I was still "too tired" to help her with chores on Sundays.

Now that I have been living on my own for a while and have a puppy to look after, I find myself falling into the same pattern as my Mom's.  My commute home can be anywhere between 1-1.5 hours, and while I could be falling asleep on my drive, I will muster up the energy to prepare a meal right after I get home.  After dinner, I will either do laundry or clean.  On the weekends, I am spending quality time with Echo, cleaning, running errands, and grocery shopping.  It is like I am on autopilot, probably what my Mom has been on for many years now.

I admire my Mom for all that she has generously given without resentment or bitterness.  Perhaps tradition has a lot to do with it, but today, I don't think women are as accommodating.  With women becoming more and more independent, how do you stop certain thoughts from creeping into your mind? 

"Your job is not more important than mine, I make sacricifices to get home early to put dinner on the table at a decent hour."

"Just because I am running around all day doing chores and running errands doesn't meant that I enjoy doing it and wouldn't rather spend the day on the couch."

I think my Mom would have liked help from my Dad or from one of us, but she never really asked.  I think she was willing to sacrifice her time and energy so that we could kick back and enjoy ourselves more.  Also, what would be the point of asking if it took one of our lazy butts x hours to finally get around to something when she could take care of it right away?  It is so easy to take advantage of kindness.  I can say that I want her to relax more, but without action on my part, those words are meaningless. 

I see myself heading down the same path as my Mom, the primary caretaker of the household while holding down a full time job with a crappy commute.  I am my mother's daughter, so it's ingrained in me to go on autopilot and get stuff done and to take care of those around me.  I am not really a procrastinator.  So everytime I feel like complaining or feel envious of my friends who hardly have to lift a finger in their household, I will think of my Mom and remember that however much I am giving up, she gave up 10x more and let that be my motivation to carry on.