I did get some lovely presents for my birthday. I got a total of $55 in gift cards to Media Play, a $25 gift card to Old Navy, S1 of The West Wing, and S1 of CSI:. Funny Story behind the last one: it was from my mom and dad, and she told me yesterday that she went back and forth for over a week over which season to get me. She wanted to get S1 because, you know, start at the beginning and all that, but she kept thinking 'But the second season is better!' and couldn't decide for a while.

She also revealed to me that she has 'always thought Sara and Greg would make a good couple.' Hee. My mom and I share shipping preferences. Too bad she probably would freak out about the thought of slash, because I suspect if she didn't, she could see the H/D potential.

I went to the Girl Scout office yesterday for nine hours, and I am now certified in CPR for Adults, First Aid, and CPR for children age 1 to age 8. We didn't cover CPR for infants because of time, and it's hard to find a class that is just CPR for infants, so that's a little disappointing, but eh. At least I'm certified, and I don't have to worry about a first-aider for troop meeting. Just a first aid kit, now.

It's actually cold here. We have some of the windows cracked - it's what we do mid-September every year, when we're sick of paying the electric bill for A/C - and it's been chilly the last two mornings. Brrr.

So, the bad news is, I had an attack on my birthday. The good news, this attack's nature made it abundantly clear that it's not a mid-back strain or sprain causing the problem. I mean, I've never heard of a sprain or strain where throwing up makes it better. Where an 'attack' of pain causes your liver to malfunction. Where drinking lots and lots and lots of water makes it better. (Lots of water means more than two gallons in a 12 hour time period.) But guess what? Every. Single. Thing. is explained by gallstones. Every symptom, every problem. I just have an 'atypical' pain presentation for gallstones/gallbladder problems.

But. The good news is, it doesn't matter if I sit on my couch, or if I go on a walk, or if I go to sleep without a bra. It does matter what I eat, but those other things? Don't matter. It doesn't matter how much I wear Jacob.. What matters is supporting my liver & gallbladder, and trying to figure out when will be a good time to have the surgery done. I don't want to wait too long - my liver is already pretty damaged, from all indications - and I know it will have to come out sometime, but if I could even get to when Jacob is 10 or 11 months instead of now, at not-quite-seven, it would be better.

I just have to figure out what I can eat. High-fiber, low-fat is recommended, but no legumes, which leaves me :( and sort of up the creek as far as dinner this week goes, I was going to make a nice big pot of 15 bean soup and we could eat on that practically all week. Then I realised that wouldn't work, and started thinking of other possibilities. The first one my mind leapt to was black beans and rice. Again with the legumes!

Ack. I just realised - peanut butter. Peanuts are legumes! No wonder... I've been eating peanut butter almost daily for the past couple of months. Oh, it makes me cry just thinking about all I could have been doing to help myself...