Reasons To Love My iPhone 6! And Other Happy Things...

Those of you who have been blog readers of mine for awhile might remember my cellphone dilemma/debate two years ago. I had begun to feel particularly isolated and didn't have any way for people to get in touch with me except through my mom's phone. On the other hand, I didn't know how long this whole disability process was going to take and I didn't know how long my savings would hold out, especially with a monthly cellphone expense. The truth is I don't like to talk on the phone and much prefer text or email over talk any day. So not having a phone was hard but not really that hard and it was just necessary for that season of life.

Last Summer my parents upgraded their phones and passed down Mom's old phone (which was previously Marquee's phone) to me, complete with my very own number. It was one of those phones from about five years ago or more that had the little slideout keyboard for ease in texting. Honestly, it had no bells and whistles but it more than met my needs. My niece Jamie used it to record videos and told me she loved "old timey technology!" Truly, though, since I'm almost always at home with the luxury of my laptop, old timey technology was fine. Sidebar: I gave my old phone to Jamie, even though it no longer has a number, it still takes pictures and videos and makes a good address book for a pre-teen!

Then I became a grandmother. First to one precious little princess and soon... any day!!!... to my Ollie-Pop! Cosette is close by and I see her pretty much once or twice a week and I still miss her SO MUCH on the days I don't see her. Ollie is a hundred miles away and I'll be lucky to see him once every other month. Cosette's mom is on social media so I can follow along with photos and videos that she posts but Ollie's mom doesn't do social media and Ollie's dad rarely updates anything on his. I wanted to have a way to Facetime with Ollie so that I could watch him grow, even if it is just by phone. I wanted him to know my voice. I also wanted to be able to Facetime with Cosette for her special moments, especially on the days that I don't feel like getting out of the Whine Cellar. Just last night... for instance... Austin facetimed me while they were changing a particularly nasty poo-nami. We're talking precious memories here, obviously!

After much discussion with my parents, who, I haven't said nearly enough, have been so thoughtful and generous to me over these past two years of disability. There has never been anything I needed that they didn't take care of and there aren't many things I wanted that they haven't gotten for me.
As much of  a mental struggle as this disability process has been for me, I must say that I'm extremely fortunate to have a place to live, to have food above and beyond what food stamps could pay for, to have the medications I need and to be able to see the doctors I need to see. I'm extremely appreciative for how well they've cared for me and probably the number one thing I want to get out of my disability case is money to compensate them for at least some of the things they've done for me. I'm anxious about the upcoming hearing but I would be much more anxious if I didn't have their support.

Anyways... we all started realizing that I needed a phone that would help me be in touch with these much loved babies. I did a lot of research and by research I mean, I posted a Facebook status asking for input and read a few reviews. The general consensus from those who are most "in the know" about my light grasp on technology (my boys and their friend Josh) was that the iPhone would be the most user friendly phone for me. I was worried about the cost but ultimately it was a matter of either we get something that's going to do what I need it to do in a way I could figure it out or... there was no point of upgrading. Mom and I both got the iPhone 6 and basically shut down the local AT&T store getting things set up. There was only one guy working and it took us an hour and a half to get everything put together. About half way through a second employee got there and was able to start helping the others that had gathered. Those in the store had hung around so long that we joked that we would start having an annual reunion of those gathered that day! I love my small town! Instead of being frustrated we all just made the best of things.

I came home from the phone store and immediately started watching an hour long tutorial on the basics of the iPhone 6. I learned enough to navigate pretty well and was able to teach my mom how it works. I joked,,, "the good news is that I got an awesome phone... the bad news is that I have to teach my mom how to use it". She did well, though. There were a couple of things that tripped her up that I was able to sort out for her and although I know we still have a lot to learn, it really is user friendly. And now for my list: Reasons To Love My iPhone 6:

Facetime. Whether it's watching Cosette sit up in the bathtub for the first time or watching a poopy diaper change... I love watching her life in real time! Tasha doesn't have an iPhone so I set up another app that will allow us to do the Facetime thing... it's called Tango. I downloaded it but haven't used it yet.

Facebook. I like being able to jump on Facebook without having to get out the laptop. This is helpful when I'm away from home, like sitting in a doctors office, which happens frequently for me. I do find that I'm more likely to just like something rather than comment but... I'm connected more now. I love holding Cosette when she naps and I can hold my phone much easier than I can my laptop when I'm holding her.

Instagram. I've had an Instagram account for a few months but I had to go through so many different processes to post anything that it just wasn't worth the trouble. Now I can post instantly! Guess that's where they got the name.

THE CALENDAR!! How did I live so long without a calendar on my phone? For the appointment I have tomorrow I have the date on my calendar and when you click on it you see the Dr's name and phone number and the address mapped out. When I went to the doctor last week after the appointment I entered notes on that calendar entry about what things we were changing and so forth. I see so many doctors and am having trouble with my memory so this feature is right on time for me!

I also love Pinterest... great way to just flip through when waiting at the doctor... or wherever normal people wait. For me it's doctors or pharmacists. YOLO. (you only live once)

I'm working on figuring out Snapchat because that seems fun.

I got a coloring page app that my friend Lisa recommended (It's called Colorfy).

I can read my email easily, wherever I am.

I can access my Nook books from it.

It takes great pictures that I can easily transfer to my laptop to use the photo editing program I love.

Almost every day I learn some new app or trick or function that I didn't know about. It's just a great addition to my life!

I also got a nice Otter Box case for it in navy blue and lighter blue.

As for other happy things... Hopefully this will have a happy ending... I have a doctors appointment tomorrow to have yet another ultrasound done for the EGP* and then immediately discuss the results with the doctor. The timing of the *Evil Gut Pain seems cyclical which to me, means women's parts. The pain has been the worst it's ever been over the past few weeks, even present at times of the month that are out of my well established pattern of pain. My left hip is - I don't know - I started to use the phrase "killing me" but I'm so tired of saying that and thinking that. It hurts muchly. I am praying that we'll get some answers tomorrow. So far all we've got is "chronic constipation" (which has been resolved easily with good old fashioned stool softeners and the pain is still there) and osteoarthritis in my hip (mild, not "hip replacement" bad) and there's a teeny tiny little ovarian cyst that isn't big enough to be the source of pain. I just need it to get better. That's all. So... happy thoughts, hopeful thoughts...

The news from Cosette's x-ray the other day was good. There was a pretty good bit of poop in her intestines but no blockages and nothing anatomically awry, other than the angle/placement of her poop chute. She's had a couple of really good poops since then, without pedialax or pedialyte. Otherwise poopy diapers wouldn't be facetime worthy!

We are now 3 short days away from Oliver's due date. I. Can't. Wait. To. See. HIM!!!! It's sort of like... before I got married I never understood why people cry at weddings. Until my kids went to school, I never understood why moms cry on the first day of school (or is it just me?). Now that I know, and it's still so fresh, how amazing it is to see your son become a father, how amazing it is to have a brand new creature in the world who wouldn't be on this Earth if I had never been on this Earth. Cosette's birth was really emotional for me and believe me, I'm packing the tissues for Ollie's birth! I've got my bag ready and hope to spend a day or two down on the Southside with them, getting as many cuddles as I can with my little Ollie-Pop!

Doctor's appointment tomorrow.... then another extended, paperwork completing appointment on the 28th to get some of the last documentation ready for my hearing. Sixteen days away.

So that's all the happy I have for today... at least all that I can remember... have a wonderful week and wherever you are, whatever you're dealing with, try to find a few reasons to love whatever season of life you're in! Love and hugs, y'all!