'what's up' weekly.

This week has been defined by two, and only two things: Trick Or Treating, and The Pregnancy Headache From HELLLLLLL.

I'll just get the bad news out of the way first, so we can end on a good note, which means you'll need to give me a second to gripe.  I have had the same lingering headache since Monday: sometimes it recedes to a dull ache, other times it ramps itself up to migraine proportions, but never, ever is it gone.  I have tried EVERYTHING: essential oils, magnesium lotion, Epsom salt baths, drinking tons of water, laying on the Miracle Balls (which are hilariously named and the source of unending jokes, and also *usually* effective but completely useless at the moment), ice, heat, a chiropractic adjustment - even Tylenol didn't even touch it.  The most effective thing I've found has been wearing our amber teething necklace around the house... which is ridiculous, because it's baby sized, and even though my neck is barely even a neck and is more like a skewer for my head, it was a tight fit.  BUT.  It worked a little, which is more than I can say for any other method I tried.

I am getting so sick of it.  I can't look at anything without making it worse.  I can't close my eyes without making it worse.  I can't sleep through it.  It has gotten so bad at times as to cause my (still lingering) nausea to flare up.  I would cut off my head to stop the pain (which wouldn't be all that difficult, as we've already established that my neck is only marginally working as it is), but then I'd lose my best feature - my eyes.  (I'd also lose my worst feature - my skin - so maybe I should just go for it.)

Ugh.  Okay, so moving on to a cheerier subject: Van Voorst Children in Halloween Costumes!!

We got the privilege of taking the kids out twice this year, since Todd's office hosted a trick-or-treat event on the grounds last Saturday.

Atticus was a fisherman, Penelope a bumblebee, Finneas a soldier; Laurelai was Little Red Riding Hood (whose nickname, apparently, is Red Ruby Ribbons, as she insisted on informing every single person she came in contact with), Rocco was Mr. Peanut, and Callista went as a pumpkin (a leftover costume from the year we dressed the kids as Pumpkin Pi.)

Later in the week, we took the kids around the block on Halloween night.  They were so adorable - and Callista's remix of Penelope's lamb costume was a huge hit.  She was so adorable - and though she wasn't convinced right at first, she eventually came around.

The kids raked in SO MUCH CANDY, and now I'm about to blow up to Beauregard-sized proportions if I don't get this stuff out of my line of sight very soon.

And in other, random-so-let's-tack-it-on-the-end news, I hung out with a mom of nine kids on Monday.  It was like hanging out with a celebrity - I still feel star-struck when I can say I know moms with more kids than I have.  I'm still like, "But how do you do it?  How do you manage it all?"  I wonder if that feeling ever goes away, or if at a certain point you simply max out and can't find any moms of larger families than yours - but if you did, it would still make you feel like a total noob by comparison?  Guess I'll have to keep on testing the theory.

Anyway.  Off to go lay on an ice pack and pray for a stronger option for headache relief to magically fall from the sky - like an anvil.  A well-aimed anvil would be really good right about now.  (Can you hear me, God?  It's me.  Paige Van Voorst.  AN-VIL.)