A month ago I came to the realization that my little boy had become mobile. He would roll and wiggle to get where he wanted to be. Two weeks ago I caught him in the crawl position looking ready to go. One week ago I smiled as I watched him crawl... backwards. Three days ago I knew for sure that from now on life is going to be Will on wheels! He is moving and crawling.
As with all things, Will does not like to show off his new found skills for people. When he first rolled over I was the only person he rolled in front of for almost a month! So, with crawling, he stays perfectly still most of the time that anyone is looking at him. Then, as soon as heads are turned, he zooms. Look up to gaze at a TV show, look down and discover the baby is on the other side of the room. Look up to talk to a rambunctious 6 year old, look down and discover the baby is back again.
He also has an amazing understanding of object permanence. If I put his giraffe in his car seat he will crawl to the car seat to grab the giraffe. If I put his pacifier in my pocket he will grab at my pockets for it. He is a nipple seeking missile no matter how many layers of clothing I wear. And now, he is crawling over to the cabinet where we store his toys, opening the doors, pulling out the bins and then playing up a storm! That, my friends, is one awesome little seven month old!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The most beautiful girl in the world!
Today the most beautiful, amazing girl in the world turns 12 years old. My Kiddo is becoming less and less of a kiddo. She is an amazing girl who is quickly becoming an awesome lady. I am so excited to get to watch her keep growing and maturing. I love her so very much! Daughter, you astound me every moment we are together. Thank you for loving a quirky mom like me!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
A new level of tired
Will is 6 1/2 months old now. He still hasn't slept through the night. If you had asked me yesterday if he had slept through the night yet I would have said that yes, he had for the last two nights. I would have been wrong. For the last two days I have been exhausted but not understanding why since I thought Will was sleeping through the nights. Guess what! I am so tired that I couldn't remember waking up to feed him! Hubby would go and grab him when he woke up, wake me up and I would sit up to feed and cuddle him. I was actually waking up every 3 hours to feed him just like normal, but I am so tired that I didn't know it! Awesome, yes? Hahahahaha!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I won the WICKED lottery!
I have just had one of the best night's of my life! I am grinning from ear to ear! I won the WICKED lottery! OK... let me back up....
Boogie has been asking for me to take him to see Wicked for quite some time. He liked the music, he is a dancer and I took his sister once so it made sense that he wanted to go. The problem there is that we just can't afford to buy tickets to every show we want to see. Well, if we skipped a few bills we could but we keep paying the bills instead, silly people that we are. I felt pretty bad about having to tell him no but I had to. Then I heard about the Wicked lottery. Two and a half hours before the show you can put your name in a cauldron and then at two hours to show time they pull out names for 20 tickets at only $25. That's the cost of one dinner out. That is doable!
So yesterday Boog and I headed to TPAC to put our names in the pot. When we got there we discovered that you have to pay with cash as soon as your name is called. I figured that was no big deal since there is an ATM on premises. I was so wrong! We put our names in the cauldron and then walked to the car to get my phone before trying to use the ATM machine. I found the ATM machine, put my card to the slot, the machine took the card in... and then the machine screen popped up, "Please insert your card". Uhhh... what? So I called the number on the machine next to the line, "If you have any problems with this machine please call..." The person on the phone was no help. She actually asked me why I was calling her about it. Really lady? Really? You have to be kidding me! I immediately broke into a cold sweat. Luckily, the people manning the cauldron got permission to allow me to wait until we found out if we won to run to my bank to cash a check and my Hubby called the bank and cancelled my card. We didn't win so I didn't have to make the run. Boogie cried.
I felt like I failed him in so many ways so today we headed out again. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try again, right? This time traffic was lighter, I had my cash with me and I had cash for the parking meter. The day seemed to be going much better. At 5:30 they started drawing names. This time I found myself counting down the number of tickets with Boogie. 20, 18, 16, 14... I started to feel my hope fading and I was holding my breath. Then the names stopped. The person drawing the names leaned to the others and asked them how to pronounce the name. I started to smile. When she asked another group I asked, "Does it start with a V?" "Yes." "Is it Vilara?" "Yes!" "Yay!" Boogie whooped, the crowd cheered for us and I almost cried I was so happy! OK, so maybe I did cry a little bit!
Boogie and I shared a dinner and killed time until show time. He was so excited that he wanted to stand at the doors for the whole two hours! When we were waiting we even ran into a sorority sister of mine. (If you are reading this it was so nice to see you! I hope we run into each other another some time soon!) So, it was finally time to find our seats. I was shocked to discover that we were in the 3rd row! We were so close! It was just amazing!
Boogie loved the show. He behaved the whole time and even curbed his chattiness. I was so happy to be able to share that with him and we had just a wonderful time. He may even have something new to aspire to!
Boogie has been asking for me to take him to see Wicked for quite some time. He liked the music, he is a dancer and I took his sister once so it made sense that he wanted to go. The problem there is that we just can't afford to buy tickets to every show we want to see. Well, if we skipped a few bills we could but we keep paying the bills instead, silly people that we are. I felt pretty bad about having to tell him no but I had to. Then I heard about the Wicked lottery. Two and a half hours before the show you can put your name in a cauldron and then at two hours to show time they pull out names for 20 tickets at only $25. That's the cost of one dinner out. That is doable!
So yesterday Boog and I headed to TPAC to put our names in the pot. When we got there we discovered that you have to pay with cash as soon as your name is called. I figured that was no big deal since there is an ATM on premises. I was so wrong! We put our names in the cauldron and then walked to the car to get my phone before trying to use the ATM machine. I found the ATM machine, put my card to the slot, the machine took the card in... and then the machine screen popped up, "Please insert your card". Uhhh... what? So I called the number on the machine next to the line, "If you have any problems with this machine please call..." The person on the phone was no help. She actually asked me why I was calling her about it. Really lady? Really? You have to be kidding me! I immediately broke into a cold sweat. Luckily, the people manning the cauldron got permission to allow me to wait until we found out if we won to run to my bank to cash a check and my Hubby called the bank and cancelled my card. We didn't win so I didn't have to make the run. Boogie cried.
I felt like I failed him in so many ways so today we headed out again. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try again, right? This time traffic was lighter, I had my cash with me and I had cash for the parking meter. The day seemed to be going much better. At 5:30 they started drawing names. This time I found myself counting down the number of tickets with Boogie. 20, 18, 16, 14... I started to feel my hope fading and I was holding my breath. Then the names stopped. The person drawing the names leaned to the others and asked them how to pronounce the name. I started to smile. When she asked another group I asked, "Does it start with a V?" "Yes." "Is it Vilara?" "Yes!" "Yay!" Boogie whooped, the crowd cheered for us and I almost cried I was so happy! OK, so maybe I did cry a little bit!
Boogie and I shared a dinner and killed time until show time. He was so excited that he wanted to stand at the doors for the whole two hours! When we were waiting we even ran into a sorority sister of mine. (If you are reading this it was so nice to see you! I hope we run into each other another some time soon!) So, it was finally time to find our seats. I was shocked to discover that we were in the 3rd row! We were so close! It was just amazing!
Boogie loved the show. He behaved the whole time and even curbed his chattiness. I was so happy to be able to share that with him and we had just a wonderful time. He may even have something new to aspire to!
Monday, October 31, 2011
MMMMM Pizza!
I have a confession to make. Boogie does not get to choose his own Halloween costume. Each year I go to the store on November 1st and purchase the costume for the next year. I know what he likes and we discuss it in advance but I only get what I can get a good price on and then Boog has a year to get excited about it. This year he had two years to get excited about it since the costume I bought for last year wasn't needed since we ended up with our Disney themed costumes from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Two years of having this costume hanging in his closet did not dull his excitement for it. He was super excited to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Now can you guess who's costume I didn't buy way in advance? Yep, the kid who was just a jellybean at Halloween last year. Some time around August I started wondering out loud about what Will should be for Halloween. Hubby always just smiled and told me I would figure something out. Then one day I thought I was making a joke. I said, "Since Boog is being a turtle maybe Will should be the turtles favorite thing, pizza." To my surprise no one laughed. Instead Hubby said, "Oh, that would be cute" and Boogie said, "YES YES YES YES!" After that I tried to talk them out of it. There are no pizza costumes for baby's out there. I couldn't even find a pattern for one. They clung to the pizza idea. I gave in.
We had to hand design the costume and then, obviously, hand make it. Hubby and I picked out most of the fabric together, though I get full credit for the awesomeness of the crust fabric. It was a remnant of a fabric we had never seen before but it was so perfect for a pizza crust! Then Hubby was responsible for making up the crust and cheese while I did the sauce and toppings. It was a team effort and I have to say that it turned out awesome. Together Will and Boogie were the cutest little pair in the neighborhood!
Now can you guess who's costume I didn't buy way in advance? Yep, the kid who was just a jellybean at Halloween last year. Some time around August I started wondering out loud about what Will should be for Halloween. Hubby always just smiled and told me I would figure something out. Then one day I thought I was making a joke. I said, "Since Boog is being a turtle maybe Will should be the turtles favorite thing, pizza." To my surprise no one laughed. Instead Hubby said, "Oh, that would be cute" and Boogie said, "YES YES YES YES!" After that I tried to talk them out of it. There are no pizza costumes for baby's out there. I couldn't even find a pattern for one. They clung to the pizza idea. I gave in.
We had to hand design the costume and then, obviously, hand make it. Hubby and I picked out most of the fabric together, though I get full credit for the awesomeness of the crust fabric. It was a remnant of a fabric we had never seen before but it was so perfect for a pizza crust! Then Hubby was responsible for making up the crust and cheese while I did the sauce and toppings. It was a team effort and I have to say that it turned out awesome. Together Will and Boogie were the cutest little pair in the neighborhood!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
My pediatrician is the best!
No really... my pediatrician is the BEST! The doctor's office that we use as a family calls and let's you know that you have an appointment two days before the appointment. During the call you can confirm or cancel the appointment. Due to this great feature I tend to not really pay attention to when my appointments are. Yeah, well, that was an issue today. Hubby canceled the home phone since Vonage hadn't been letting us make outgoing calls for 2 months. I changed the phone number associated with me the last time I was in and just assumed (yes, Dad I know what assuming does!) that the phone number change would be associated with the whole family. I thought wrong. So today I called because I had this feeling that Will's check up was this week and I never got the phone call. The receptionist told me that yes, Will's appointment was this week. In fact, it was 30 minutes before I called. Oh criminy! I asked if I could still come in and get worked in. She didn't seem very hopeful but she asked the doctor anyway. The doctor said to come on in. He had them act like my appointment was for 50 minutes later than it was! Keep in mind that this is a really popular doctor not just one of those guys who barely can keep his doors open. I was so amazed. He is just great.
We loaded up just as fast as we could and raced in. They worked us in and Will was given another diagnosis of perfection! He is 18 1/2 lbs. and 26 1/2" so he is really evening out. He used to be 80% weight and almost 40% height. Now he is 61% weight and 46% height. I am really pleased. Will impressed the doctor with his fine and gross motor skills again and of course, with how wonderfully sweet he is. All in all it was a great visit made even better by having a doctor who allows a busy mom to make a mistake or two!
We loaded up just as fast as we could and raced in. They worked us in and Will was given another diagnosis of perfection! He is 18 1/2 lbs. and 26 1/2" so he is really evening out. He used to be 80% weight and almost 40% height. Now he is 61% weight and 46% height. I am really pleased. Will impressed the doctor with his fine and gross motor skills again and of course, with how wonderfully sweet he is. All in all it was a great visit made even better by having a doctor who allows a busy mom to make a mistake or two!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Homeschooling is a tough job!
Oh my goodness is homeschooling a tough job. Maybe I should say homeschooling with a six month old in the house is a tough job. No- maybe I should say homeschooling with a six month old in the house who hasn't slept through the night yet is a tough job. Nay- I should say homeschooling with a six month old in the house who hasn't slept through the night yet and a husband who is working 75 hours a week and therefore can not help out with anything around the house is a tough job. I keep having to remind myself that homeschooling is an additional full time job I have taken on. I am not just taking care of a house with 4 people in it that never really go anywhere else. (You don't realize what a difference people leaving for work and such makes until you are suddenly cleaning a house where no one leaves. Think about how much more trash there is, how much faster the carpets get dirty, how much faster the bathroom gets dirty, how many more dirty dishes are made, etc.) I am not just taking care of a baby full time, nearly single-handedly since Hubby works so hard at bringing home the bacon. I am not just attempting to raise Boogie to be a person of good character. I am doing all those things and being the teacher during the day.
Boogie was allowed to choose his own curriculum with me throwing in a few things that I find to be rather important. I'll let you guess who added what and then tell you at the end! He is learning astronomy, grammar, writing, literature appreciation, physical education, spelling, math, handwriting, bible, 1st grade skills, music, ASL, French, dance, American geography and American history. He added everything but PE, handwriting and spelling. Seriously, I had to start narrowing things down! Amazing, right?
He loves to absorb knowledge. He loves to know things. He even loves watching Jeopardy with Hubby and me! I find it astounding just how much he loves his subjects when we get down to it.
I know for many people the hard part about homeschooling is finding a way to teach their kids, or planning out what to do. Those things are easy for me. Maybe that says something good about me. Maybe that says amazing things about Boog. The only problem we have is actually finding enough time. He won't really get down to it without me overhead. I tend to feel like I shouldn't have to sit there and stare at him while he copies his spelling words. I could use that time to feed Will, wash dishes, fold laundry, make dinner or clean floors. We haven't really figured out how to fix this issue. Yet. We will though, but until we do I say- homeschooling is a tough job!
Boogie was allowed to choose his own curriculum with me throwing in a few things that I find to be rather important. I'll let you guess who added what and then tell you at the end! He is learning astronomy, grammar, writing, literature appreciation, physical education, spelling, math, handwriting, bible, 1st grade skills, music, ASL, French, dance, American geography and American history. He added everything but PE, handwriting and spelling. Seriously, I had to start narrowing things down! Amazing, right?
He loves to absorb knowledge. He loves to know things. He even loves watching Jeopardy with Hubby and me! I find it astounding just how much he loves his subjects when we get down to it.
I know for many people the hard part about homeschooling is finding a way to teach their kids, or planning out what to do. Those things are easy for me. Maybe that says something good about me. Maybe that says amazing things about Boog. The only problem we have is actually finding enough time. He won't really get down to it without me overhead. I tend to feel like I shouldn't have to sit there and stare at him while he copies his spelling words. I could use that time to feed Will, wash dishes, fold laundry, make dinner or clean floors. We haven't really figured out how to fix this issue. Yet. We will though, but until we do I say- homeschooling is a tough job!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Semi time
That's right- it is Will's semi- birthday. He is six amazing months old! I can't believe that he has been the cuteness in my life for six whole months now! How did I get so lucky as to have this incredible little boy in my life?
I did notice something today though. I am a completely different mother to Will than I was to Boogie at the same age. I have pictures of Boog's half year birthday. We gave him chocolate cake to celebrate. Will hasn't even had stage two foods. Boog spent half his time shirtless. Will goes to bed in a sleeper every night and gets dressed in something cute every day. Boog showered with Hubby. Will is just about to transition to the big boys tub. Boog had stayed with someone else for a few hours here and there so that Hubby and I could go out. Will has never been more than a room away from either Hubby or I, and I can count on one hand the number of times that he has been away from me at all. I am just a completely different mom to him. I don't know if I am a better mom or a worse mom but for sure I am a different mom.
He is a different baby that Boog was too. Boog has always been loud. Will is chill. Boog has always expected the best of things, he is an optimist at heart. Will is just happy with whatever comes his way. He is content. I could always see the wheels turning in Boog's head. Will quietly observes and then just does whatever he wants to do with no real effort involved. I wouldn't say he is a better baby, but for sure he is a different baby!
And I am intent on enjoying every second of being his mom, for the next six months, six years, six decades!
I did notice something today though. I am a completely different mother to Will than I was to Boogie at the same age. I have pictures of Boog's half year birthday. We gave him chocolate cake to celebrate. Will hasn't even had stage two foods. Boog spent half his time shirtless. Will goes to bed in a sleeper every night and gets dressed in something cute every day. Boog showered with Hubby. Will is just about to transition to the big boys tub. Boog had stayed with someone else for a few hours here and there so that Hubby and I could go out. Will has never been more than a room away from either Hubby or I, and I can count on one hand the number of times that he has been away from me at all. I am just a completely different mom to him. I don't know if I am a better mom or a worse mom but for sure I am a different mom.
He is a different baby that Boog was too. Boog has always been loud. Will is chill. Boog has always expected the best of things, he is an optimist at heart. Will is just happy with whatever comes his way. He is content. I could always see the wheels turning in Boog's head. Will quietly observes and then just does whatever he wants to do with no real effort involved. I wouldn't say he is a better baby, but for sure he is a different baby!
And I am intent on enjoying every second of being his mom, for the next six months, six years, six decades!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
All by myself...
I know that I am not really all by myself because my boys are here with me, but without Hubby I kind of feel like I am all by myself. And I am so over it!
On Monday Hubby left for a work trip. He will be back tomorrow afternoon. I only have to make it a few more hours and then he will be home. Now, usually when Hubby goes out of town I turn into super mom. I accomplish major tasks. The house stays spotless. I have special activities planned with Boogie. I turn into super mom. Alas, it was not to be this time.
I started out well enough. I got the house tidied up. My mother-in-law stopped by and we had a little visit. I had some heart to hearts with Boogie. Everything was going well. And then Will had a bad night. I am fully aware that his bad night may be a normal night for other parents but, at almost 6 months since my last full night's sleep, it was bad. He just couldn't seem to sleep. Poor guy. I think it has just been that he misses his DaDaDa but whatever it is, it has meant no sleep for me. No sleep for me since Monday night. I really hope he can sleep once Hubby is home!
Here's to another sleepless night!
On Monday Hubby left for a work trip. He will be back tomorrow afternoon. I only have to make it a few more hours and then he will be home. Now, usually when Hubby goes out of town I turn into super mom. I accomplish major tasks. The house stays spotless. I have special activities planned with Boogie. I turn into super mom. Alas, it was not to be this time.
I started out well enough. I got the house tidied up. My mother-in-law stopped by and we had a little visit. I had some heart to hearts with Boogie. Everything was going well. And then Will had a bad night. I am fully aware that his bad night may be a normal night for other parents but, at almost 6 months since my last full night's sleep, it was bad. He just couldn't seem to sleep. Poor guy. I think it has just been that he misses his DaDaDa but whatever it is, it has meant no sleep for me. No sleep for me since Monday night. I really hope he can sleep once Hubby is home!
Here's to another sleepless night!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Hubby has joined the world of the 30 somethings
So have I ever mentioned that my hubby's birthday is exactly one week after mine and Boog's? It is and so today is his birthday. It's a big one too... he is the big 30 today. I wracked and wracked my brain about what to give him. A while ago I gave him the bluray of a movie he wanted as an early present but there is no way I could leave it at that. And so I thought and thought. I thought so much I probably started to look a bit like Pooh in his thoughtful spot.
What did I come up with? Nothing. No really- nothing. It is always me pulling us out of the house. It is always me making us do planned things. Hubby is the one who always just wants to grab a bunch of redbox movies and some snacks and just have dark and quiet hours in front of the TV. And so I decided that for his birthday we would do what I always call nothing.
Before anyone thinks I was being a bad wife I should say that Hubby was very pleased. I got him 3 redbox movies, made him and oatmeal cake and just treated him like he was a king. I don't think that he could have handled anything else, especially since he is the final member of the family to catch that lovely cold but I do know that didn't want anything else.
I guess for once it really can be said that the thought is what counts!
What did I come up with? Nothing. No really- nothing. It is always me pulling us out of the house. It is always me making us do planned things. Hubby is the one who always just wants to grab a bunch of redbox movies and some snacks and just have dark and quiet hours in front of the TV. And so I decided that for his birthday we would do what I always call nothing.
Before anyone thinks I was being a bad wife I should say that Hubby was very pleased. I got him 3 redbox movies, made him and oatmeal cake and just treated him like he was a king. I don't think that he could have handled anything else, especially since he is the final member of the family to catch that lovely cold but I do know that didn't want anything else.
I guess for once it really can be said that the thought is what counts!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
They say it's my birthday...
It's Boog's birthday too! Actually, for what I think is the first time ever it is also the day of Boog's birthday party. So here we are- I am 31 ripe old years and he is a whopping 6 years old. I don't know where the time went! I do know where today went though. Well, sort of...
A great portion of today went to yesterday. Clear as mud? Let me explain. Since today is a Sunday that meant that I could take Saturday to set up for the birthday party and not have to stress out on party day, right? Well, that is what I thought at least. I waited until the boys went to bed and then Kiddo, Hubby and I started decorating and baking and assembling. If I am being precise I should say that Kiddo and I started baking and decorating while Hubby did some assembling. We worked and worked and worked. Hubby took a nap and I took a few breaks to feed Will but overall we just kept working. The next thing I knew I could see the sun starting to come up. We seriously worked until 7:30 am.
I took a quick nap and then we started working on the outside. My parents arrived early (thank goodness) and played with the boys while Kiddo, Hubby and I kept on trucking. After a quick shower it was party time. There was not a moment to spare!
If I do say so myself, it was a great party. The kids had their little race outside just as Boogie had requested. The kids loved all the cars stuff set up everywhere. The house was full and it was fun. The menu, aside from the cake, was simpler than usual but it was exactly what Boog had asked for. The cake was also just what Boog had asked for. He had carrot cupcakes and a funfetti cake topped with a brownie which is something he designed himself. To top it off was a huge Lego set from his Gigi and Pop Pop that Hubby had spent most of the night setting up. He loved it. I think most of all he loved having his friends here.
The day was a resounding success, except I was kind of lost in it. My parents got me a present and so did Kiddo. My in-laws gave me my real present when Will was born and I use it daily. But somehow, for the first time ever, it bothered me a bit to not have my birthday matter at all. And now it's the end of the day and my body is mad at me for not sleeping. Kiddo had a bit of a cold when she got here and she has passed it on to me I think. So hey, I guess she gave me two things today!
A great portion of today went to yesterday. Clear as mud? Let me explain. Since today is a Sunday that meant that I could take Saturday to set up for the birthday party and not have to stress out on party day, right? Well, that is what I thought at least. I waited until the boys went to bed and then Kiddo, Hubby and I started decorating and baking and assembling. If I am being precise I should say that Kiddo and I started baking and decorating while Hubby did some assembling. We worked and worked and worked. Hubby took a nap and I took a few breaks to feed Will but overall we just kept working. The next thing I knew I could see the sun starting to come up. We seriously worked until 7:30 am.
I took a quick nap and then we started working on the outside. My parents arrived early (thank goodness) and played with the boys while Kiddo, Hubby and I kept on trucking. After a quick shower it was party time. There was not a moment to spare!
If I do say so myself, it was a great party. The kids had their little race outside just as Boogie had requested. The kids loved all the cars stuff set up everywhere. The house was full and it was fun. The menu, aside from the cake, was simpler than usual but it was exactly what Boog had asked for. The cake was also just what Boog had asked for. He had carrot cupcakes and a funfetti cake topped with a brownie which is something he designed himself. To top it off was a huge Lego set from his Gigi and Pop Pop that Hubby had spent most of the night setting up. He loved it. I think most of all he loved having his friends here.
The day was a resounding success, except I was kind of lost in it. My parents got me a present and so did Kiddo. My in-laws gave me my real present when Will was born and I use it daily. But somehow, for the first time ever, it bothered me a bit to not have my birthday matter at all. And now it's the end of the day and my body is mad at me for not sleeping. Kiddo had a bit of a cold when she got here and she has passed it on to me I think. So hey, I guess she gave me two things today!
Friday, September 30, 2011
After 3 weeks
A few weeks ago Boogie had a little something "funny feeling" in his mouth. I took a look for him and discovered that he had an adult tooth sticking out. It was super far back in his mouth and his corresponding baby tooth was not loose at all. Of course, being the superb mommy I am, I freaked out about it. First of all, this was just another sign that my little guy gets closer and closer to being a big guy every day. Secondly, that tooth was sooo far back. Thirdly, if that baby tooth didn't fall out then how would the adult tooth ever move forward? I told Boog to wiggle and jiggle that tooth as much as he could as often as possible. When Kiddo has a loose tooth it takes her no more than 36 hours to get the tooth out. I thought surely he would get that tooth out and all would be fine.
The next day I checked and nothing, nada, no movement. Seriously, it was like he hadn't been wiggling at all. After grilling him like a pig at a luau I discovered that he hadn't been wiggling it! I took him out to pick out fabric for a tooth fairy pillow. He picked a shamrock pattern but that may be a whole different post. Anyway, it was my way of attempting to bribe him into a little wiggling. It didn't help. He didn't wiggle or jiggle.
I wanted to have a dentist pull the tooth but we were thwarted by the dentists office workers and the insurance. After two weeks I was willing to do everything short of grabbing the pliers. I started wrapping that tooth in dental floss and yanking. I did this over and over and over. The tooth kept getting looser but it just wouldn't come out.
Today I tried again before going to pick up Kiddo but it wouldn't come out. Today marked three whole weeks of trying to get this tooth out! I gave up and went to get Kiddo. In the car I filled Kiddo in on how much I have failed! She giggled with me and then asked Boogie if she could try. She turned around in the car, barely touched his tooth and out it came. I think she may be the tooth whisperer!
So, finally, after three weeks- Boogie has lost his first baby tooth! Go Boogie!
The next day I checked and nothing, nada, no movement. Seriously, it was like he hadn't been wiggling at all. After grilling him like a pig at a luau I discovered that he hadn't been wiggling it! I took him out to pick out fabric for a tooth fairy pillow. He picked a shamrock pattern but that may be a whole different post. Anyway, it was my way of attempting to bribe him into a little wiggling. It didn't help. He didn't wiggle or jiggle.
I wanted to have a dentist pull the tooth but we were thwarted by the dentists office workers and the insurance. After two weeks I was willing to do everything short of grabbing the pliers. I started wrapping that tooth in dental floss and yanking. I did this over and over and over. The tooth kept getting looser but it just wouldn't come out.
Today I tried again before going to pick up Kiddo but it wouldn't come out. Today marked three whole weeks of trying to get this tooth out! I gave up and went to get Kiddo. In the car I filled Kiddo in on how much I have failed! She giggled with me and then asked Boogie if she could try. She turned around in the car, barely touched his tooth and out it came. I think she may be the tooth whisperer!
So, finally, after three weeks- Boogie has lost his first baby tooth! Go Boogie!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
My new name is Prof. Dora Higgins
If you are a mother then you are probably very familiar with all of the songs on Dora the Explorer. I know I certainly am. Today I had cause to have "We did it" stuck in my head. Well, I kind of had it stuck in my head. For some reason halfway through the song I keep switching to the same named song from "My Fair Lady". It is a really odd transition but it is there just the same. I guess that makes me Prof. Dora Higgins! Haha!
Oh wait... are you wondering why I had occasion to have those words stuck in my head? Of course you are, or if you aren't then tough because I am going to tell you anyway! Will spent the whole night in his room in his bed. I repeat- Will spent the whole night in HIS room in HIS bed! Go Will! We did it!
Oh wait... are you wondering why I had occasion to have those words stuck in my head? Of course you are, or if you aren't then tough because I am going to tell you anyway! Will spent the whole night in his room in his bed. I repeat- Will spent the whole night in HIS room in HIS bed! Go Will! We did it!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Power of an Adjective
In school, if you were the sort to pay mind to what the teacher said, you probably learned that adjectives are simply descriptors. You were taught that one way to know that it might be an adjective is by seeing if the sentence gets along fine without that word. "The cat played with the small toy. The cat played with the toy." Seems pretty simple, doesn't it?
Recently Will and I discovered that not all adjectives are created equal. We found an adjective that changes the rest of the sentence. "What adjective is that?" you ask. Sweet. Yup, sweet. I don't mean candy levels of sweet either. Just sweet.
When I initially picked out Will first baby foods I noticed that the containers of organic baby foods had "sweet peas" while the ordinary food just said "peas". I figured that they probably just added that little adjective to make you want to pay the extra fifty cents for the organic but I decided to buy pack of each, just to test. So home we went with all our future yummy meals.
We started with the sweet peas. He loved them! He attacked them the way most kids attack chocolate. We fed him a few other things than went back to the sweet peas. Despite having had peaches, apples, pears and green beans he still loved though sweet peas. Then we tried the peas. Oh what a difference that little word sweet makes. He wanted nothing to do with those peas. He spit them out after the first bite. He turned his head for the second. When we tried a third time he actually blew them off the spoon! No peas please!
Now, before you try to point out that sweet peas and peas are slightly different, well, yeah I know that. I have always preferred sweet peas myself. That said, I also kind of thought that that preference was a product of the word sweet. I thought maybe I was subconsciously drawn to the sweet peas because they called themselves sweet. I guess I must be wrong. If even my little guy can tell the difference there really must be a difference. They often say babies are a good judge of character, well, I have to say my baby is a good judge of the yummy factor!
P.S. Since then we have discovered that beechnut sells sweet peas that aren't the expensive organic sweet peas. We tried those and he loved them, for significantly less than the organic variety. Score one for beechnut and green giant!
Recently Will and I discovered that not all adjectives are created equal. We found an adjective that changes the rest of the sentence. "What adjective is that?" you ask. Sweet. Yup, sweet. I don't mean candy levels of sweet either. Just sweet.
When I initially picked out Will first baby foods I noticed that the containers of organic baby foods had "sweet peas" while the ordinary food just said "peas". I figured that they probably just added that little adjective to make you want to pay the extra fifty cents for the organic but I decided to buy pack of each, just to test. So home we went with all our future yummy meals.
We started with the sweet peas. He loved them! He attacked them the way most kids attack chocolate. We fed him a few other things than went back to the sweet peas. Despite having had peaches, apples, pears and green beans he still loved though sweet peas. Then we tried the peas. Oh what a difference that little word sweet makes. He wanted nothing to do with those peas. He spit them out after the first bite. He turned his head for the second. When we tried a third time he actually blew them off the spoon! No peas please!
Now, before you try to point out that sweet peas and peas are slightly different, well, yeah I know that. I have always preferred sweet peas myself. That said, I also kind of thought that that preference was a product of the word sweet. I thought maybe I was subconsciously drawn to the sweet peas because they called themselves sweet. I guess I must be wrong. If even my little guy can tell the difference there really must be a difference. They often say babies are a good judge of character, well, I have to say my baby is a good judge of the yummy factor!
P.S. Since then we have discovered that beechnut sells sweet peas that aren't the expensive organic sweet peas. We tried those and he loved them, for significantly less than the organic variety. Score one for beechnut and green giant!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Doctor, Doctor... Give me the news
I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to hold my breath at doctor's appointments. I am always waiting for bad news and praying for good news. I wait with bated breath for the news either way. In the last month I had two opportunities to hold my breath and wait.
The first time was a check up for me. After my recent surgery and the damage done to my liver I was less excited than normal for this visit. Honestly, I was just plain nervous. I held my breath, as usual, while the doctor went over each test result. Blood sugar- good, pulse ox- good, pulse- good, blood pressure- good, vitamin levels- good, liver function- good, cholesterol- good... everything showed that I am in perfect health. The only issue that she found was that I am slightly anemic, but that is to be expected after 2 surgeries within 3 months. She also pointed out that I was loosing weight (because obviously I didn't know that myself) and said that was good. Actually, I am 55 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Will. "Good, good, good" she said. Then she tells me to loose another 70 pounds by next year- just because. Those were her words. Umm... ok... I love how I am perfectly healthy and not showing any signs of medical issues associated with my weight and still the doctor is focused on the scale. Anyway, I am trying to focus on the wonderful test results for now.
The second opportunity presented itself in the form of a check up for Will. It was just the typical 4 month check up, complete with vaccinations. The doctor checked him head to toe and declared him to be wonderful. No really, that was his word. Will is wonderful. At one point I had a nice chuckle during the visit. The doctor told me that by Will's 6 month check up he might be able to sit up a little. He explained that he might be a bit wobbly and need to use his arms to support him. At that point I flipped to my pictures on my phone and showed him 7 pictures I took while waiting for him to come examine Will. Will was sitting up in all of them. The doctor smiled and looked at Will. He was appropriately impressed. Anyway, Will is up to 16 pounds, 15 ounces and measured in at 24 1/2 inches. That makes him larger and shorter than average. Personally, I don't think he looks any smaller than average or any heavier, but maybe that it just my mother's eyes. From what I see he is just perfectly beautiful.
And so I got the news, and found it to be overwhelmingly good. Thank the Lord!
The first time was a check up for me. After my recent surgery and the damage done to my liver I was less excited than normal for this visit. Honestly, I was just plain nervous. I held my breath, as usual, while the doctor went over each test result. Blood sugar- good, pulse ox- good, pulse- good, blood pressure- good, vitamin levels- good, liver function- good, cholesterol- good... everything showed that I am in perfect health. The only issue that she found was that I am slightly anemic, but that is to be expected after 2 surgeries within 3 months. She also pointed out that I was loosing weight (because obviously I didn't know that myself) and said that was good. Actually, I am 55 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Will. "Good, good, good" she said. Then she tells me to loose another 70 pounds by next year- just because. Those were her words. Umm... ok... I love how I am perfectly healthy and not showing any signs of medical issues associated with my weight and still the doctor is focused on the scale. Anyway, I am trying to focus on the wonderful test results for now.
The second opportunity presented itself in the form of a check up for Will. It was just the typical 4 month check up, complete with vaccinations. The doctor checked him head to toe and declared him to be wonderful. No really, that was his word. Will is wonderful. At one point I had a nice chuckle during the visit. The doctor told me that by Will's 6 month check up he might be able to sit up a little. He explained that he might be a bit wobbly and need to use his arms to support him. At that point I flipped to my pictures on my phone and showed him 7 pictures I took while waiting for him to come examine Will. Will was sitting up in all of them. The doctor smiled and looked at Will. He was appropriately impressed. Anyway, Will is up to 16 pounds, 15 ounces and measured in at 24 1/2 inches. That makes him larger and shorter than average. Personally, I don't think he looks any smaller than average or any heavier, but maybe that it just my mother's eyes. From what I see he is just perfectly beautiful.
And so I got the news, and found it to be overwhelmingly good. Thank the Lord!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
I am NOT your mother!
"I am NOT your mother!" Lately, I have heard those words escape my lips over and over again. You want to know the bad part? I keep saying them to Boogie! It isn't about his behavior (though we have miles to go before I sleep) or about wanting to run away from my job as his mom. It is simply about the word mother. I don't like it. I am his mom, momma or mommy but I am most certainly not his mother. I have a friend who refers to herself as mudder and I could even handle that but mother- no way! Something about it sounds so formal. It sounds more like distance than love, more like a job title than a term of endearment. Does that make sense? I know I am not alone in feeling that way. I know that there are other women out there who would not be happy to have their child start calling them mother. Some might even prefer their given names over mother. I could set up a poll or ask everyone I see but I don't think I need to. I just know in my heart that I am not alone in preferring to not be called mother. But mostly I know I am not alone in feeling that way because every few hours I hear my husband holler from his office, "I am not your father!"
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Travel
So, did I mention during my last post that the thing that concerned me most about the timing for having my gallbladder issues was that it might interfere with my ability to go see my grandparents in Indiana? I love my family, but we are so very far apart and it gets so difficult to spend time together that I didn't want to miss even one possible day. So we pushed it! We got the Dr. go ahead and at just one week post op we headed up to see my grandparents and other assorted family.
I remember being a kid and hearing other kids talk about visiting their grandparents as something horrible. That was never the case for me. For me the white farm house with green roof and shutters on a highway in Indiana was home. It was constant. It was full of love. It was comfort. When everything else in my life changed with every new order, that house stayed always welcoming. Though I haven't officially lived in Indiana since I was a year old it has always been home to me. My grandparents taught me how to love and every so often I need that fresh reminder of unconditional love despite the conditions of the world.
Now, I know I referred to the rest of the family as assorted but they are much more than that. My cousins have always been more like sisters to me. Actually, as a little girl one of my cousins and I used to believe that we were actually with the wrong mothers. I would say that my aunt gave me to my mother because I was only 10 months behind her first daughter and that my mother gave my middle cousin to my aunt as payment for me (she is a year younger than me.) The only problem with that is that I am very obviously my dad's offspring. Ha ha! Anyway, the point of all this is that I love my family very much!
I am so glad we managed to make the trip. We spent 9 whole days up there visiting and just being. I suppose that most people don't think there is anything very vacation oriented to do in Indiana, but it is one of our favorite trips to make. We sit and talk with my grandparents. My boys play with my cousins boys. We take trips to the county fair, us girls with our little boys. We have good home cooked dinners where there are more people than can fit around any one table. We traipse through Amish country and buy their yummies. We watch our kids admire the fireworks together. We just are. And I hope that I can say we always will be.
I remember being a kid and hearing other kids talk about visiting their grandparents as something horrible. That was never the case for me. For me the white farm house with green roof and shutters on a highway in Indiana was home. It was constant. It was full of love. It was comfort. When everything else in my life changed with every new order, that house stayed always welcoming. Though I haven't officially lived in Indiana since I was a year old it has always been home to me. My grandparents taught me how to love and every so often I need that fresh reminder of unconditional love despite the conditions of the world.
Now, I know I referred to the rest of the family as assorted but they are much more than that. My cousins have always been more like sisters to me. Actually, as a little girl one of my cousins and I used to believe that we were actually with the wrong mothers. I would say that my aunt gave me to my mother because I was only 10 months behind her first daughter and that my mother gave my middle cousin to my aunt as payment for me (she is a year younger than me.) The only problem with that is that I am very obviously my dad's offspring. Ha ha! Anyway, the point of all this is that I love my family very much!
I am so glad we managed to make the trip. We spent 9 whole days up there visiting and just being. I suppose that most people don't think there is anything very vacation oriented to do in Indiana, but it is one of our favorite trips to make. We sit and talk with my grandparents. My boys play with my cousins boys. We take trips to the county fair, us girls with our little boys. We have good home cooked dinners where there are more people than can fit around any one table. We traipse through Amish country and buy their yummies. We watch our kids admire the fireworks together. We just are. And I hope that I can say we always will be.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Three Merry Months
Happy quarter of a year birthday Will! Yeah, that's right... I am acknowledging my child's quarter year birthday! He is an amazing little guy and I am totally willing to celebrate every day that I am blessed with is presence so... Happy Birthday Will!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Troubles
My but it has been a long time since I last posted. I haven't avoided posting on purpose, and I certainly have had things to fill everyone in on, but life got in the way. Boy oh boy did life get in the way!
Everyone knows life with a newborn can be rough. One sleepless night follows another. Growth spurts require round the clock feeding cycles. The diapers pile up almost as fast as the dishes and the laundry. And we have certainly faced all of that, but we had an extra wrench thrown into the works. You see on Monday I was given the go ahead to resume life as normal. That meant no more restrictions from the surgeon and I was really looking forward to being able to really pull my own weight (ever diminishing as it was!) By Wednesday our world was back in a crazy whirl.
Wednesday night Hubby offered to take care of the baby and let me get a little rest so that I would be able to take the kiddo to her grandparents the next day. I happily agreed but almost immediately felt this horrible pain in my back. That pain lasted all night long and rapidly grew to the front of my abdomen. It hurt worse that the c-section had and that frightened me, if I am being completely honest. I took some leftover pain pills from the section and still the pain pushed on. By the morning I had to inform Hubby that there was no way I could drive since I hadn't slept due to the pain. I explained it all to him and he seemed pretty sure it was a pulled muscle. It hurt four times worse than any pulled muscle I had ever had before but I trusted he knew best. We did the drop off and the pain still remained. By the time we returned I was fighting very hard to not cry in front of people. At 20 hours the pain was bad enough to make me sick. At that point Hubby had a eureka moment and immediately took me to the emergency room rather certain that the pain was being caused by my gallbladder.
UGH... the next two days were full of aggravation. First the er doc said it was my gallbladder and then changed his mind. Then he had me admitted so I could have an ultrasound but no one knew when that would happen. The doctor that saw me on the floor just totally blew off everything I had to say. She wanted to believe that it was acid reflux, despite the problems my liver was already having. Ummm, honey, I know how acid reflux feels. I would never go the er for acid reflux! When I finally had the ultrasound no one came to give me results for 12 hours! The nurses were rude and, despite my asking both the doctors and the nurses if the meds were safe while breastfeeding, gave me meds that could have caused Will issues!
By the time the second doctor came around and told me it was probably just acid reflux I was ready to just go home and find a doctor who was willing to listen to me! I had to actually ask what the ultrasound showed... she hadn't even looked it over. They treated me like some homeless person who was making things up just to have a bed to sleep in. The whole thing was aggravating! Obviously, when the doctor said she wanted to send me home I didn't argue. No one had listened to me thus far, why stay and be ignored some more?
So home I went. Over the next 5 days I had 8 more pain attacks. At least they were only lasting hours instead of days, but I couldn't get them under control. I tried only eating really healthy food but still the attacks came. I tried only drinking but still the attacks came. I tried drinking only water but still the attacks came. I finally stopped eating or drinking and the attacks still came. Eventually I decided that if the attacks were going to come anyway I should eat whatever was best for Will so I could keep him healthy. Nothing helped honestly. Hubby and I spent hours researching solutions on the Internet and nothing kept the attacks at bay. I was frequently so frustrated that I would just cry and cry.
And then, one week after the first attacks, I went to the internist. She set up appointments for me to have a test on my gallbladder to see if it worked (why they didn't do that in the hospital I will never know!) and to see a surgeon. She also had some blood work done before I left, just to be sure my liver was working fine again.
Three hours later we got the wits scared out of us. As we waited in line at Subway the doctor called. Not the receptionist, not the nurse, but the doctor. She told us to go straight to the emergency room again because my liver function was significantly worse. Fun! Hubby drove while I called our families for a little help and support. (Shout out to our parents... Thanks so much!) When we got there the emergency room apparently hadn't gotten the memo. We went right back in to the wait around and see mode.
I have to say that at this point my stress level was pretty well pegged. Sometime the next day the decision was made to just go ahead and take my gallbladder out and be done with it. A few hours later they did just that and the attacks left with the gallbladder. Hmmm... I guess it wasn't just acid reflux, eh? Haha!
Before the surgery I had read and heard stories of people being back to work after two days. Even the paper from the hospital said that the recovery takes five to ten days. Well, I don't know if it is a result of how far downhill my body had gone before the surgery or if it is from having the surgery so soon after that third c-section but I am still not back up to par. I am finally able to sleep on my side again, though getting into that position hurts. I am finally moving like a normal human though that can cause some serious soreness. I am still on restrictions as far as how much I can lift and that sort of thing, though I honestly just do what I feel ok doing. All I know is that I am slowly getting back to normal, whatever that may be.
Everyone knows life with a newborn can be rough. One sleepless night follows another. Growth spurts require round the clock feeding cycles. The diapers pile up almost as fast as the dishes and the laundry. And we have certainly faced all of that, but we had an extra wrench thrown into the works. You see on Monday I was given the go ahead to resume life as normal. That meant no more restrictions from the surgeon and I was really looking forward to being able to really pull my own weight (ever diminishing as it was!) By Wednesday our world was back in a crazy whirl.
Wednesday night Hubby offered to take care of the baby and let me get a little rest so that I would be able to take the kiddo to her grandparents the next day. I happily agreed but almost immediately felt this horrible pain in my back. That pain lasted all night long and rapidly grew to the front of my abdomen. It hurt worse that the c-section had and that frightened me, if I am being completely honest. I took some leftover pain pills from the section and still the pain pushed on. By the morning I had to inform Hubby that there was no way I could drive since I hadn't slept due to the pain. I explained it all to him and he seemed pretty sure it was a pulled muscle. It hurt four times worse than any pulled muscle I had ever had before but I trusted he knew best. We did the drop off and the pain still remained. By the time we returned I was fighting very hard to not cry in front of people. At 20 hours the pain was bad enough to make me sick. At that point Hubby had a eureka moment and immediately took me to the emergency room rather certain that the pain was being caused by my gallbladder.
UGH... the next two days were full of aggravation. First the er doc said it was my gallbladder and then changed his mind. Then he had me admitted so I could have an ultrasound but no one knew when that would happen. The doctor that saw me on the floor just totally blew off everything I had to say. She wanted to believe that it was acid reflux, despite the problems my liver was already having. Ummm, honey, I know how acid reflux feels. I would never go the er for acid reflux! When I finally had the ultrasound no one came to give me results for 12 hours! The nurses were rude and, despite my asking both the doctors and the nurses if the meds were safe while breastfeeding, gave me meds that could have caused Will issues!
By the time the second doctor came around and told me it was probably just acid reflux I was ready to just go home and find a doctor who was willing to listen to me! I had to actually ask what the ultrasound showed... she hadn't even looked it over. They treated me like some homeless person who was making things up just to have a bed to sleep in. The whole thing was aggravating! Obviously, when the doctor said she wanted to send me home I didn't argue. No one had listened to me thus far, why stay and be ignored some more?
So home I went. Over the next 5 days I had 8 more pain attacks. At least they were only lasting hours instead of days, but I couldn't get them under control. I tried only eating really healthy food but still the attacks came. I tried only drinking but still the attacks came. I tried drinking only water but still the attacks came. I finally stopped eating or drinking and the attacks still came. Eventually I decided that if the attacks were going to come anyway I should eat whatever was best for Will so I could keep him healthy. Nothing helped honestly. Hubby and I spent hours researching solutions on the Internet and nothing kept the attacks at bay. I was frequently so frustrated that I would just cry and cry.
And then, one week after the first attacks, I went to the internist. She set up appointments for me to have a test on my gallbladder to see if it worked (why they didn't do that in the hospital I will never know!) and to see a surgeon. She also had some blood work done before I left, just to be sure my liver was working fine again.
Three hours later we got the wits scared out of us. As we waited in line at Subway the doctor called. Not the receptionist, not the nurse, but the doctor. She told us to go straight to the emergency room again because my liver function was significantly worse. Fun! Hubby drove while I called our families for a little help and support. (Shout out to our parents... Thanks so much!) When we got there the emergency room apparently hadn't gotten the memo. We went right back in to the wait around and see mode.
I have to say that at this point my stress level was pretty well pegged. Sometime the next day the decision was made to just go ahead and take my gallbladder out and be done with it. A few hours later they did just that and the attacks left with the gallbladder. Hmmm... I guess it wasn't just acid reflux, eh? Haha!
Before the surgery I had read and heard stories of people being back to work after two days. Even the paper from the hospital said that the recovery takes five to ten days. Well, I don't know if it is a result of how far downhill my body had gone before the surgery or if it is from having the surgery so soon after that third c-section but I am still not back up to par. I am finally able to sleep on my side again, though getting into that position hurts. I am finally moving like a normal human though that can cause some serious soreness. I am still on restrictions as far as how much I can lift and that sort of thing, though I honestly just do what I feel ok doing. All I know is that I am slowly getting back to normal, whatever that may be.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
No disappointment
I don't know about other people, but I live with little concerns floating around in my brain all the time. "Do I have enough gas in the car to get where I am going?" or "Will the paycheck hit the bank on time?" or "Will that guy texting while driving next to me swerve into my lane?" or "Will Boogie be disappointed at what a new baby is like?" I think they are all genuine concerns. Afterall, when I was a kid the gas gauge stuck once and we ended up stranded with no gas, the paycheck has been known to go in a day or two late when there is holiday around, many texting people are guilty of pinball driving and Boogie had huge plans about life with his new brother.
I tried to prepare Boog for how little a baby is, how little babies can do and how much attention babies require but fail to give. We talked about it and talked about it and talked about it. It was never a lecture but a lot of little "well honey" comments. I hoped he really listened to what I said, but I doubted any of it sunk in. I was concerned to say the least.
Well, don't you know it? My boys proved me a worrywart. After all those "well honey" comments Will has proven me wrong with each one and Boog has proven he had his expectations leveled appropriately. I told Boogie that babies don't really play. Boog's idea of playing with a baby is just exactly what he gets- Will's nose wrinkling at jokes, smiling at funny faces and wiggling when tickled. I told Boogie that babies really only cry to communicate. Will already coos and giggles at Boogie. I told Boogie that most babies only calm down for their parents. Will only calms down for Boogie in certain situations. He seriously seems to equate Boogie with the car seat. If we put him in the car seat he expects to have Boogie holding his hand or foot, talking, reading or singing to him and making funny faces just inches from Will's face. Any lack of Boogie equates to uncontrollable cries of loneliness that only Boogie can soothe!
At every turn I appear to be a liar! But you know what? I don't mind being proven a liar every day if it keeps them loving each other the way they do! They aren't at all disappointed in eachother and I am certainly not disappointed by being wrong!
I tried to prepare Boog for how little a baby is, how little babies can do and how much attention babies require but fail to give. We talked about it and talked about it and talked about it. It was never a lecture but a lot of little "well honey" comments. I hoped he really listened to what I said, but I doubted any of it sunk in. I was concerned to say the least.
Well, don't you know it? My boys proved me a worrywart. After all those "well honey" comments Will has proven me wrong with each one and Boog has proven he had his expectations leveled appropriately. I told Boogie that babies don't really play. Boog's idea of playing with a baby is just exactly what he gets- Will's nose wrinkling at jokes, smiling at funny faces and wiggling when tickled. I told Boogie that babies really only cry to communicate. Will already coos and giggles at Boogie. I told Boogie that most babies only calm down for their parents. Will only calms down for Boogie in certain situations. He seriously seems to equate Boogie with the car seat. If we put him in the car seat he expects to have Boogie holding his hand or foot, talking, reading or singing to him and making funny faces just inches from Will's face. Any lack of Boogie equates to uncontrollable cries of loneliness that only Boogie can soothe!
At every turn I appear to be a liar! But you know what? I don't mind being proven a liar every day if it keeps them loving each other the way they do! They aren't at all disappointed in eachother and I am certainly not disappointed by being wrong!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A merry month of mayhem with my miniature man
My sweet baby boy was a month old on Sunday. That just doesn't seem right to me. I feel like he should only be a few days old, and I feel like he has been in my arms forever. This month has been, like the first month with every newborn, a crazy time. There is so much changing going on that first month, both with the baby and with the family. Here is a just a sampling of our events this past month...
4/15 Will born
4/16 Will holds his head up
4/18 come home from hospital/ new washer arrives!
4/19 Will rolls from front to back
4/21 weight check for Will, immunizations for Boogie
4/25 Will's first outing (took Boogie to dance class, then to buy dance shoes)
4/26 Plastibell came off
4/29 umbilical stubby fell off
5/1 Will tracks me with his eyes
5/3 Will coos for the first time
5/4 My post op check
5/5 another weight check
5/6 Will smiles when he sees me
5/7 Will rolls back to front/ Will giggles for the first time
5/8 Will's dedication
5/9 Will motivates across the floor
5/10 Will outgrows an outfit for the first time!
5/12 Start taking the kids on a daily walk
5/15 1 month old!
That doesn't include most dance classes, any small group visits, Hubby running monitors at church, grocery/supply shopping, etc. I can't believe how much has happened. I can't believe how much Will has grown. I can't believe I have been blessed to watch this amazing little boy develop and change every day!
4/15 Will born
4/16 Will holds his head up
4/18 come home from hospital/ new washer arrives!
4/19 Will rolls from front to back
4/21 weight check for Will, immunizations for Boogie
4/25 Will's first outing (took Boogie to dance class, then to buy dance shoes)
4/26 Plastibell came off
4/29 umbilical stubby fell off
5/1 Will tracks me with his eyes
5/3 Will coos for the first time
5/4 My post op check
5/5 another weight check
5/6 Will smiles when he sees me
5/7 Will rolls back to front/ Will giggles for the first time
5/8 Will's dedication
5/9 Will motivates across the floor
5/10 Will outgrows an outfit for the first time!
5/12 Start taking the kids on a daily walk
5/15 1 month old!
That doesn't include most dance classes, any small group visits, Hubby running monitors at church, grocery/supply shopping, etc. I can't believe how much has happened. I can't believe how much Will has grown. I can't believe I have been blessed to watch this amazing little boy develop and change every day!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Way back in 1999 I became a mother for the first time. I was young but I was determined to combat that by reading every book on parenting that I could get my hands on before the baby came. And so I did. I borrowed books from friends and read them cover to cover. I went to the bookstore and sat in a chair reading the books I couldn't afford. Based on what the books said I decided to breastfeed my baby.
She came a few weeks early but not before I had a couple weeks of being completely stressed out over things that weren't going right with the pregnancy. She was jaundiced. All she ever wanted to do was sleep. She never really latched on properly. I was super stressed and beyond tired. Any one of these things can affect a woman's milk supply, but apparently the combination (or perhaps some other reason) killed mine. It was the first thing I intended to do for my child to giver her the best, and I was a total failure.
Do you know that not a single one of those books that I had read ever indicated that a woman can have a failure to make milk? I felt all kinds of sadness that I can't really describe. Every book, every "expert" said that all women make milk, it's the natural way of things. The books all seemed to say to me that not being able to make milk was the product of not trying hard enough. They said to me that giving up was my not caring to give my child the best. It killed me to have to stop even trying but when I was getting nothing but blood when I pumped I had to give in.
It has been 11 years but the pain of that first maternal failure has always haunted me. It isn't that I always want it to haunt me but with each pregnancy since then the breastfeeding police have come after me. They come in the form of emails about breastfeeding from the doctor or hospital, ads in parenting magazines, entire chapters in parenting books, lactation boutiques being touted in hospital tours, etc. When you are a pregnant woman who has previously failed to successfully breastfeed those reminders are everywhere! My poor hubby dealt with many a tear over just knowing that I would fail again.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. Will was born. I was too scared to even think of the possibility of successfully breastfeeding. I refused to answer that question during the hospital intake. I wouldn't even allow myself to dream of such a thing. I kept saying, "Well, I will try and when all I make is colostrum again at least the baby will have gotten the good antibodies and I will be OK. I won't let it upset me this time."
Hubby must have had other plans because someone told the hospital staff that I would be attempting to breastfeed. When they came to me to confirm I panicked inside. I thought everyone was going to see me fail again. I was going to start a third child's life out by failing him. It scared me more than I allowed anyone to know. (At least I think I hid it pretty well.) But, I decided that if I was going to fail I should at least actually fail instead of just failing by refusing to try. So we gave it a shot.
I was a total roller coaster with it. Will has a great affinity for breastfeeding. He automatically took to it. It made my hope soar. Then they weighed Will and he had lost weight. That soaring hope crashed like a kite when the wind disappears. And repeat. Then a nurse had me start pumping and I would add a twist to each run of the roller coaster. I was so freaked out that each time I got any milk I made the nurse look at it to tell me if any of it was milk as opposed to colostrum. I even stayed in the hospital an extra day just to keep track of Will's weight.
Eventually I had to go home but Will and I kept at it. And guess what? We had success. When we went for his one week visit at the doctor the weight loss had stopped. He had even gained back an ounce. The doctor told us to come back in two weeks (earlier if things seemed to not be going well) and we would know for sure. He even gave Will and I a goal. He wanted Will to be back to his birth weight by this visit.
Yesterday we had that visit. I was a bit nervous about it. Will seemed to be back to his birth weight but what if it was all wishfull thinking? Well, I am proud to say that we hit our goal. Will weighed 9 lbs 3 oz at birth. When we left the hospital he was at 8 lbs 7 oz. That first visit had Will weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz. At this visit Will weighed 10 lbs 2.8 oz! That's right yo! He is almost a full pound heavier than when he was born. He gained 27 oz in 14 days! Go Will! And go boobies! :)
Amazingly, breastfeeding gets to be something I can say I have conquered now! I don't know what was so different this time. It could be the fact that my boys took care of me while I was pregnant. It could be Will's amazingness. No matter what the difference I just want to say Yay!
She came a few weeks early but not before I had a couple weeks of being completely stressed out over things that weren't going right with the pregnancy. She was jaundiced. All she ever wanted to do was sleep. She never really latched on properly. I was super stressed and beyond tired. Any one of these things can affect a woman's milk supply, but apparently the combination (or perhaps some other reason) killed mine. It was the first thing I intended to do for my child to giver her the best, and I was a total failure.
Do you know that not a single one of those books that I had read ever indicated that a woman can have a failure to make milk? I felt all kinds of sadness that I can't really describe. Every book, every "expert" said that all women make milk, it's the natural way of things. The books all seemed to say to me that not being able to make milk was the product of not trying hard enough. They said to me that giving up was my not caring to give my child the best. It killed me to have to stop even trying but when I was getting nothing but blood when I pumped I had to give in.
It has been 11 years but the pain of that first maternal failure has always haunted me. It isn't that I always want it to haunt me but with each pregnancy since then the breastfeeding police have come after me. They come in the form of emails about breastfeeding from the doctor or hospital, ads in parenting magazines, entire chapters in parenting books, lactation boutiques being touted in hospital tours, etc. When you are a pregnant woman who has previously failed to successfully breastfeed those reminders are everywhere! My poor hubby dealt with many a tear over just knowing that I would fail again.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. Will was born. I was too scared to even think of the possibility of successfully breastfeeding. I refused to answer that question during the hospital intake. I wouldn't even allow myself to dream of such a thing. I kept saying, "Well, I will try and when all I make is colostrum again at least the baby will have gotten the good antibodies and I will be OK. I won't let it upset me this time."
Hubby must have had other plans because someone told the hospital staff that I would be attempting to breastfeed. When they came to me to confirm I panicked inside. I thought everyone was going to see me fail again. I was going to start a third child's life out by failing him. It scared me more than I allowed anyone to know. (At least I think I hid it pretty well.) But, I decided that if I was going to fail I should at least actually fail instead of just failing by refusing to try. So we gave it a shot.
I was a total roller coaster with it. Will has a great affinity for breastfeeding. He automatically took to it. It made my hope soar. Then they weighed Will and he had lost weight. That soaring hope crashed like a kite when the wind disappears. And repeat. Then a nurse had me start pumping and I would add a twist to each run of the roller coaster. I was so freaked out that each time I got any milk I made the nurse look at it to tell me if any of it was milk as opposed to colostrum. I even stayed in the hospital an extra day just to keep track of Will's weight.
Eventually I had to go home but Will and I kept at it. And guess what? We had success. When we went for his one week visit at the doctor the weight loss had stopped. He had even gained back an ounce. The doctor told us to come back in two weeks (earlier if things seemed to not be going well) and we would know for sure. He even gave Will and I a goal. He wanted Will to be back to his birth weight by this visit.
Yesterday we had that visit. I was a bit nervous about it. Will seemed to be back to his birth weight but what if it was all wishfull thinking? Well, I am proud to say that we hit our goal. Will weighed 9 lbs 3 oz at birth. When we left the hospital he was at 8 lbs 7 oz. That first visit had Will weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz. At this visit Will weighed 10 lbs 2.8 oz! That's right yo! He is almost a full pound heavier than when he was born. He gained 27 oz in 14 days! Go Will! And go boobies! :)
Amazingly, breastfeeding gets to be something I can say I have conquered now! I don't know what was so different this time. It could be the fact that my boys took care of me while I was pregnant. It could be Will's amazingness. No matter what the difference I just want to say Yay!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Will's Birth Story
I guess the story of Will's birth should start the night before he was born. I was supposed to get a call that night telling me what time to show up for my c-section in the morning. Guess what? No call! That, shall we say, worried me a bit! I had to make a ton of phone calls to find out just when to come in. Eventually I was told 5:30 am. That seemed a bit early for the 9 am c-section I had scheduled but Justin and I just said OK. 5:30 am came very early and found me a bundle of nerves. Amazingly we made it to the hospital in time. We asked about the early time and got wonderful news. Instead of being the second section of the day we had been bumped up to the first position. Apparently the person originally scheduled to be first had delivered earlier in the week. So now they had to get me ready to roll.
The nurses were very nice, but they proved to me that I am a hard stick. It took 3 nurses 4 attempts to get an IV in my arm. I ended up with the IV in the side of my wrist. AWKWARD place, I assure you. When everything was attached and working we only had about 20 minutes before the doctor was supposed to come speak to me.
After 45 minutes one nurse informed me that no one had seen my doctor yet that day. Uh, what? Justin and I joked that maybe no one had told the doctor we had been bumped up the schedule. Surely not the case we told each other. The minutes continued to click by... quickly they turned into hours. Finally we had an update. No one had informed the doctor that we had been bumped up on the schedule, or verified that he was available when they bumped us up. My doctor was at the surgery center across town! Oops! Oh, and even if he could get there right that second we would have to wait. Someone having twins was using the other OR and they like to keep one OR open for emergencies. Finally the doctor was on site, the twins were delivered and it was my turn. The time- 10 am. It had been a long morning already!
Finally things were rolling along again. They brought me back to the OR and began the process of the spinal block. Despite the fact that this was my third c-section this was my first block. Oh my goodness did it freak me out. In my first two sections I could kind of feel pulling but that was it, with the block I could feel all the pressure being put on different parts of my body. With the other two I was just numb but with this one I felt like my bottom half was just asleep. In my previous sections I would go cold and into a haze. This time I started to sweat and I couldn't breathe but I stayed positively lucid. It was so different but my anesthesiologist made it all ok.
From there on things didn't just roll along, they sped. Hubby barely made it into the room before they had me all opened up. The doctor barely announced that he was about to remove the baby before Will let out the cry every mother longs to hear. Yep, Will didn't wait to be totally extracted before letting everyone know what he thought of those bright lights! He made his momma proud! Oh- amazing thing- the doctor dropped the shield during the section so Hubby could see Will come out! I am sure I don't have to mention that it was love at first sight! Hubby went with Will and I chose to stay and get sewed up... because I obviously had a choice! Haha! At this point there ends up being another difference between this section and my previous ones - I stayed awake. I have never been able to stay awake after the baby is removed but this time I did. I was even cutting up with the doctor and nurses. It was nice really.
From there Hubby and Will went to get the vitals (DOB 4/15 @ 10:36 am, 9 lb. 3 oz., 21 1/2" long) and I went off to start recovery where I did allow myself to sleep. Within a few hours I was in my room and Will was in my arms, right where he belongs!
The nurses were very nice, but they proved to me that I am a hard stick. It took 3 nurses 4 attempts to get an IV in my arm. I ended up with the IV in the side of my wrist. AWKWARD place, I assure you. When everything was attached and working we only had about 20 minutes before the doctor was supposed to come speak to me.
After 45 minutes one nurse informed me that no one had seen my doctor yet that day. Uh, what? Justin and I joked that maybe no one had told the doctor we had been bumped up the schedule. Surely not the case we told each other. The minutes continued to click by... quickly they turned into hours. Finally we had an update. No one had informed the doctor that we had been bumped up on the schedule, or verified that he was available when they bumped us up. My doctor was at the surgery center across town! Oops! Oh, and even if he could get there right that second we would have to wait. Someone having twins was using the other OR and they like to keep one OR open for emergencies. Finally the doctor was on site, the twins were delivered and it was my turn. The time- 10 am. It had been a long morning already!
Finally things were rolling along again. They brought me back to the OR and began the process of the spinal block. Despite the fact that this was my third c-section this was my first block. Oh my goodness did it freak me out. In my first two sections I could kind of feel pulling but that was it, with the block I could feel all the pressure being put on different parts of my body. With the other two I was just numb but with this one I felt like my bottom half was just asleep. In my previous sections I would go cold and into a haze. This time I started to sweat and I couldn't breathe but I stayed positively lucid. It was so different but my anesthesiologist made it all ok.
From there on things didn't just roll along, they sped. Hubby barely made it into the room before they had me all opened up. The doctor barely announced that he was about to remove the baby before Will let out the cry every mother longs to hear. Yep, Will didn't wait to be totally extracted before letting everyone know what he thought of those bright lights! He made his momma proud! Oh- amazing thing- the doctor dropped the shield during the section so Hubby could see Will come out! I am sure I don't have to mention that it was love at first sight! Hubby went with Will and I chose to stay and get sewed up... because I obviously had a choice! Haha! At this point there ends up being another difference between this section and my previous ones - I stayed awake. I have never been able to stay awake after the baby is removed but this time I did. I was even cutting up with the doctor and nurses. It was nice really.
From there Hubby and Will went to get the vitals (DOB 4/15 @ 10:36 am, 9 lb. 3 oz., 21 1/2" long) and I went off to start recovery where I did allow myself to sleep. Within a few hours I was in my room and Will was in my arms, right where he belongs!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Boogie Night
Well, tomorrow is the big day. Tomorrow we will have another little one in our care, and I will be on pain medicine. But tonight, tonight we focus on our little Boogie Bear. Tonight we want him to know that he is special to us. Tonight he is the king and it is Boogie's choice! So here we go- having a Boogie Night at Chuck E. Cheese! Haha!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Magic Kitty
Recently I told everyone about my little watch kitty. She is an awesome little watch kitty, and has done sweet sweet things for me, but this post isn't about her. Would you believe that two of my kitties are awesome? Seriously!
Casanova is my kitty. He was the first kitty we got and he really only likes Hubby and me. He hides from most everyone else. And he really hadn't reacted very well to this pregnancy. He had been avoiding me, aided by my hubby locking the kitties out of my room at night. Hubby claimed that was to help me sleep while I believe it was so he could steal all the kitty loving! Despite that effort (haha) I have had a horrible time sleeping.
Recently I developed pregnancy induced sleep apnea. Multiple times in an hour I wake up making an inhale scream (the type you make when the scariest thing in the world just startled you.) And apparently for every time you wake up there are a whole lot more where you don't wake up. Consequently I have been exhausted.
Anyway, the night before last Hubby fell asleep before ushering me upstairs so I didn't have the kitties locked out. Well, Casanova climbed up on the bed and snuggled my neck and upper chest. He just purred til I went to sleep. And I didn't wake up for three hours. Even then it was just a kick to the bladder that woke me up. That 3 hours of sleep was more restful than any sleep I had experienced in weeks! Last night Casanova came to bed with me again. Once again he curled up in the exact same place and put me to sleep. Actually, he put me to sleep in less than ten minutes, hours earlier in the night than I had been able to go to sleep this whole pregnancy! He stayed with me most of the night, putting me right back to sleep every time my tiny little bladder woke me up. I went the entire night without any of those screams! AND I slept for probably nine and a half hours total! It was amazing.
Now, obviously my kitty isn't actually magic. I know it, you know it, we all know it. BUT just the same somehow he, or his purr, of the placement of his purr with where he snuggled me helped me soooo much! I just had to brag on my wonderful kitty! Go Cas!
Casanova is my kitty. He was the first kitty we got and he really only likes Hubby and me. He hides from most everyone else. And he really hadn't reacted very well to this pregnancy. He had been avoiding me, aided by my hubby locking the kitties out of my room at night. Hubby claimed that was to help me sleep while I believe it was so he could steal all the kitty loving! Despite that effort (haha) I have had a horrible time sleeping.
Recently I developed pregnancy induced sleep apnea. Multiple times in an hour I wake up making an inhale scream (the type you make when the scariest thing in the world just startled you.) And apparently for every time you wake up there are a whole lot more where you don't wake up. Consequently I have been exhausted.
Anyway, the night before last Hubby fell asleep before ushering me upstairs so I didn't have the kitties locked out. Well, Casanova climbed up on the bed and snuggled my neck and upper chest. He just purred til I went to sleep. And I didn't wake up for three hours. Even then it was just a kick to the bladder that woke me up. That 3 hours of sleep was more restful than any sleep I had experienced in weeks! Last night Casanova came to bed with me again. Once again he curled up in the exact same place and put me to sleep. Actually, he put me to sleep in less than ten minutes, hours earlier in the night than I had been able to go to sleep this whole pregnancy! He stayed with me most of the night, putting me right back to sleep every time my tiny little bladder woke me up. I went the entire night without any of those screams! AND I slept for probably nine and a half hours total! It was amazing.
Now, obviously my kitty isn't actually magic. I know it, you know it, we all know it. BUT just the same somehow he, or his purr, of the placement of his purr with where he snuggled me helped me soooo much! I just had to brag on my wonderful kitty! Go Cas!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Things I had forgotten about being 9 months pregnant
I don't know if I had forgotten these things because my children are so spaced out or because so many things about the end of a pregnancy get filed in the "please forget" bin but I surely had forgotten!
I had forgotten:
1. How hard it is to trim my toenails!
2. No matter how hard I work on my posture someone is going to criticize it, and it is usually a man!
3. It hurts my feelings to have people comment on how huge I am, but it also hurts when they say they can't tell that I am pregnant.
4. Just because pants fit one hour doesn't mean they will fit the next hour, it all depends on where that baby has decided to wiggle over to.
5. It doesn't matter how good a position feels on my aching muscles, if the baby doesn't like it, it isn't happening!
6. The belly makes a nice shelf to assist with carrying light objects.
7. How funny I look using aforementioned shelf!
8. Suddenly my back and lower legs itch all the time, and I swear it is because I can't reach them well anymore!
9. I wear more of my food than I eat... there is a long way for the food to ride on the fork when there is a baby belly to deal with!
10. EVERYONE expects me to be so tired of being pregnant that I want this baby here right now, when I don't mind having him to myself for a while and I love knowing that I am providing everything he needs as long as he is residing in my womb.
I am sure there are more, but right now... those are the things I can remember not remembering!
I had forgotten:
1. How hard it is to trim my toenails!
2. No matter how hard I work on my posture someone is going to criticize it, and it is usually a man!
3. It hurts my feelings to have people comment on how huge I am, but it also hurts when they say they can't tell that I am pregnant.
4. Just because pants fit one hour doesn't mean they will fit the next hour, it all depends on where that baby has decided to wiggle over to.
5. It doesn't matter how good a position feels on my aching muscles, if the baby doesn't like it, it isn't happening!
6. The belly makes a nice shelf to assist with carrying light objects.
7. How funny I look using aforementioned shelf!
8. Suddenly my back and lower legs itch all the time, and I swear it is because I can't reach them well anymore!
9. I wear more of my food than I eat... there is a long way for the food to ride on the fork when there is a baby belly to deal with!
10. EVERYONE expects me to be so tired of being pregnant that I want this baby here right now, when I don't mind having him to myself for a while and I love knowing that I am providing everything he needs as long as he is residing in my womb.
I am sure there are more, but right now... those are the things I can remember not remembering!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tunneling through
Many years ago I tried to get hired at a factory. Factories, I soon learned, require one big thing when they are hiring. You have to "pass" a carpal tunnel test. They shoot little jolts of electricity into your wrists and then measure the reaction time, or at least that was my understanding of it. Anyway, I "failed." In effect they said that were I to have a job with repetitive motions I would end up with carpal tunnel. Consequently, the factory didn't want me. Like I said, that was many years ago. Over the years I have had very little evidence of carpal tunnel issues. "Haha- shows what they know" I would think to myself when ever the memory of that almost job came to mind.
But, alas, it did not last. About a month ago I noticed that my hands would go numb when I was driving. I just blamed the car. I thought it must be vibrating somehow and I just wasn't really noticing it. Then I noticed that my hands and arms would kind of go to sleep every once in a while, more than normal but still they awoke easily so no big deal. Then last week- something changed. Suddenly I would go from my hands feeling fine to having no sense of feeling whatsoever in them. Sometimes it actually affected my entire arms. I can control my hands but no longer can I rely on the sense of touch to guide my hands because any touch is outweighed by the constant stream of pain that attacks my hands. And it is more hours than not. Honestly, since it really kicked in I have had maybe 2 to 3 hours a day where my right hand isn't in that obnoxious pain. My left hand doesn't hurt as much or as bad but that right hand hurts enough that I find myself waking up in tears.
And it annoys me! Yep, that is the kind of woman I am. I am not mentioning it because I want any pity or anything like that. I simply need to vent. This stupid pain annoys me! I mean, seriously, I have things to get done! I have a blanket left to crochet. I have laundry to do every day. I have errands to run. I have a little boy to take care of and teach to read and write. This pain is getting on my nerves! (No pun intended)
I spoke to my doctor about it and he is pretty sure that it is just carpal tunnel. My research has taught me that somewhere between 10 and 25% of pregnant women (depending on the source) suffer from some sort of carpal tunnel during pregnancy. Most sites say that after Will is born I won't have this annoyance in my hands anymore (though one site only used the word may and that kind of worried me.) Until then the doctor told me to get some braces for my hands. I am hoping that they help.
Speaking of the braces, I just have to relay this because it tickles me. The day that the doctor told me to get braces I went to the local pharmacy/drug store and looked at all the braces that claimed to help alleviate carpal tunnel pain. There were 3 different types so I picked one and away I went. Today, Hubby and I went grocery shopping. While there Hubby started looking at something in the grocery store pharmacy so I peaked at the braces. Would you believe that not only did the grocery store offer more types of braces, the braces were priced better at the grocery store as well? What the....? How crazy is that?
Anyway, I have to go now and put on the brace that Hubby bought me at the grocery store. It's a night time brace, made to be slept in. We shall see how I do sleeping with my hands turned into stubs! Haha!
But, alas, it did not last. About a month ago I noticed that my hands would go numb when I was driving. I just blamed the car. I thought it must be vibrating somehow and I just wasn't really noticing it. Then I noticed that my hands and arms would kind of go to sleep every once in a while, more than normal but still they awoke easily so no big deal. Then last week- something changed. Suddenly I would go from my hands feeling fine to having no sense of feeling whatsoever in them. Sometimes it actually affected my entire arms. I can control my hands but no longer can I rely on the sense of touch to guide my hands because any touch is outweighed by the constant stream of pain that attacks my hands. And it is more hours than not. Honestly, since it really kicked in I have had maybe 2 to 3 hours a day where my right hand isn't in that obnoxious pain. My left hand doesn't hurt as much or as bad but that right hand hurts enough that I find myself waking up in tears.
And it annoys me! Yep, that is the kind of woman I am. I am not mentioning it because I want any pity or anything like that. I simply need to vent. This stupid pain annoys me! I mean, seriously, I have things to get done! I have a blanket left to crochet. I have laundry to do every day. I have errands to run. I have a little boy to take care of and teach to read and write. This pain is getting on my nerves! (No pun intended)
I spoke to my doctor about it and he is pretty sure that it is just carpal tunnel. My research has taught me that somewhere between 10 and 25% of pregnant women (depending on the source) suffer from some sort of carpal tunnel during pregnancy. Most sites say that after Will is born I won't have this annoyance in my hands anymore (though one site only used the word may and that kind of worried me.) Until then the doctor told me to get some braces for my hands. I am hoping that they help.
Speaking of the braces, I just have to relay this because it tickles me. The day that the doctor told me to get braces I went to the local pharmacy/drug store and looked at all the braces that claimed to help alleviate carpal tunnel pain. There were 3 different types so I picked one and away I went. Today, Hubby and I went grocery shopping. While there Hubby started looking at something in the grocery store pharmacy so I peaked at the braces. Would you believe that not only did the grocery store offer more types of braces, the braces were priced better at the grocery store as well? What the....? How crazy is that?
Anyway, I have to go now and put on the brace that Hubby bought me at the grocery store. It's a night time brace, made to be slept in. We shall see how I do sleeping with my hands turned into stubs! Haha!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Some days just make me smile!
Today was an awesome day, I think. We planted roses, a bunch of flowers, spread weed and feed, etc. Since I can't exactly bend very well for the gardening the kids did a lot of the planting. They seemed to enjoy it (especially spraying off the dirt at the end) plus they really got their energy out. We got to be together and get things done. We had ice cream for dinner (it doesn't hurt every once in a while!) and then the kids hit the hay early.
And then- then I got things done. Now I know this is going to sound odd but despite all the other things we got done today I am most excited about the two things I accomplished after the kids went to bed! Haha! And one of them would seem like nothing to most people.
First of all, I prepared all the fabric for making the crib skirt this week. That required washing it, drying it (to preshrink it) and then- ironing it. All 6 to 7 yards of it. I HATE IRONING! I have no problems doing laundry, dusting, scrubbing or any of the other things that people often admit to hating but I hate ironing! Don't know why, just do. But I got it all done tonight.
And getting that done meant that I could finish another task... making the crib mobile. I seriously think this is the cutest craft I have ever made! I adore it and, honestly, I never say that about things I made. Other people will oooh and ahhh over them but I always seem a crooked place or a wrinkle or a missed stitch or something like that... but this is just too cute! I love it to pieces! It is simple and adorable at the same time, and totally perfect for the room!
Anyway, just wanted to share a great day... no lottery winnings or trips to Disney World, but a great day just the same!
And then- then I got things done. Now I know this is going to sound odd but despite all the other things we got done today I am most excited about the two things I accomplished after the kids went to bed! Haha! And one of them would seem like nothing to most people.
First of all, I prepared all the fabric for making the crib skirt this week. That required washing it, drying it (to preshrink it) and then- ironing it. All 6 to 7 yards of it. I HATE IRONING! I have no problems doing laundry, dusting, scrubbing or any of the other things that people often admit to hating but I hate ironing! Don't know why, just do. But I got it all done tonight.
And getting that done meant that I could finish another task... making the crib mobile. I seriously think this is the cutest craft I have ever made! I adore it and, honestly, I never say that about things I made. Other people will oooh and ahhh over them but I always seem a crooked place or a wrinkle or a missed stitch or something like that... but this is just too cute! I love it to pieces! It is simple and adorable at the same time, and totally perfect for the room!
Anyway, just wanted to share a great day... no lottery winnings or trips to Disney World, but a great day just the same!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The big countdown!
Today marked the start of our big countdown. We have just one month before this baby is scheduled to be in my arms. In one month our lives will change, again! That means that we also have one month to finish our to-do list.
We have been working really hard at this list, and yet it isn't done. We are sitting at 84 out of 113. And tomorrow somehow it will probably change- to 84 out of 114. Ha ha! Some things aren't things that can be accomplished in an instant (like train the kitties to stay off the baby stuff) and some things are only missing pieces before they can be crossed off. Other things- well, I am starting to worry they won't be done. I mean, I can't control how fast stuff sells on craigslist. But I need it all sold before I can cross that off the list, or I need to decide to keep it for a while or give it away or something. Anyway, I know I should focus on how much has been done and how wonderful it will be to have Will in my arms. I am really going to try to focus on those and not let the fact that I have to accomplish at least one thing a day to complete the tasks by our due date make my skin itch. You all might have to help me with that though! :P
We have been working really hard at this list, and yet it isn't done. We are sitting at 84 out of 113. And tomorrow somehow it will probably change- to 84 out of 114. Ha ha! Some things aren't things that can be accomplished in an instant (like train the kitties to stay off the baby stuff) and some things are only missing pieces before they can be crossed off. Other things- well, I am starting to worry they won't be done. I mean, I can't control how fast stuff sells on craigslist. But I need it all sold before I can cross that off the list, or I need to decide to keep it for a while or give it away or something. Anyway, I know I should focus on how much has been done and how wonderful it will be to have Will in my arms. I am really going to try to focus on those and not let the fact that I have to accomplish at least one thing a day to complete the tasks by our due date make my skin itch. You all might have to help me with that though! :P
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Somebody's Eyes are Watching
Have you ever felt like someone or something was watching you? You instinctively know that there are eyes trained upon you. You just know- Somebody's eyes are watching. Well, I do know. Why? Because those eyes belong to one of our beloved felines.
Her name is Pattycake and she is Boogie's cat. She is his because she is the kitty that loves the attention of little hands and a loud voice. She doesn't mind that he gives as many hugs and kisses on her face as he does bits of petting. She doesn't even mind being wrapped up in his arms for a rather lengthy period of time. She is just a great cat for a little boy.
And so you ask- then why do I think she is watching me? Well, simply put- she is. She has been really affected by this pregnancy. Once I left the first trimester behind her behavior changed drastically. She is still super sweet to Boogie. She still chooses his loving over anyone else's, but she has also picked up the habit of watching me. Really, she guards me.
When she is allowed in my room at night she sleeps between me and the door. When she isn't supposed to be in my room at night she attempts to hide beneath the bed, between me and the door. If her attempts to hide fail, she sits outside my door ever vigilant. She sits near me during the day, always on watch for something coming to harm me. When I am overexerting myself she positions herself at my feet and meows at me, herding me back to a place to rest. When I am alone in the house she stays near me except when making rounds to check that all is safe. I don't know if it is me she is guarding or if she is protecting this baby but she is definitely guarding us.
I don't know what a darling little cat can do to protect me should harm come my way, but somehow she reassures me that I always have someone with me in this pregnancy. I always have a little protection around me, even when I can't see it. It's nice, it's sweet and I adore her for it. And I thank God for my little reminder in the form of a darling cat.
Her name is Pattycake and she is Boogie's cat. She is his because she is the kitty that loves the attention of little hands and a loud voice. She doesn't mind that he gives as many hugs and kisses on her face as he does bits of petting. She doesn't even mind being wrapped up in his arms for a rather lengthy period of time. She is just a great cat for a little boy.
And so you ask- then why do I think she is watching me? Well, simply put- she is. She has been really affected by this pregnancy. Once I left the first trimester behind her behavior changed drastically. She is still super sweet to Boogie. She still chooses his loving over anyone else's, but she has also picked up the habit of watching me. Really, she guards me.
When she is allowed in my room at night she sleeps between me and the door. When she isn't supposed to be in my room at night she attempts to hide beneath the bed, between me and the door. If her attempts to hide fail, she sits outside my door ever vigilant. She sits near me during the day, always on watch for something coming to harm me. When I am overexerting myself she positions herself at my feet and meows at me, herding me back to a place to rest. When I am alone in the house she stays near me except when making rounds to check that all is safe. I don't know if it is me she is guarding or if she is protecting this baby but she is definitely guarding us.
I don't know what a darling little cat can do to protect me should harm come my way, but somehow she reassures me that I always have someone with me in this pregnancy. I always have a little protection around me, even when I can't see it. It's nice, it's sweet and I adore her for it. And I thank God for my little reminder in the form of a darling cat.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tax Day
We all know when tax day is- it's April 15th. Every year people feel one of two ways about tax day- dread or dream. One group of people hate that looming deadline where they will be giving away more of their hard earned money to the government. Another group will have handled their paperwork early because they get some of that money back, or all of it, or more than they paid. April 15th- a day that divides our country with emotion. This year, each year from now on, April 15th will be a happy day for me and my family.
We're having a baby-
A tax day baby.
We finally scheduled the c-section and the available slot for our week was tax day. We did not hesitate to take it! Haha! I am so excited to have a date and I am so excited to know just when I will get to meet my new little man! Tax day baby- here we come!
We're having a baby-
A tax day baby.
We finally scheduled the c-section and the available slot for our week was tax day. We did not hesitate to take it! Haha! I am so excited to have a date and I am so excited to know just when I will get to meet my new little man! Tax day baby- here we come!
Monday, February 7, 2011
What to do, What to do...
The list I mentioned a couple posts ago has been made, though it continues to grow almost daily. And we are really working hard to get it all done. However, I am having some issues deciding just how to accomplish one thing on my list. Clean/Reorganize the garage. We really want the garage to be clean and straightened up enough that we can actually park a car in there. I hate putting a baby in a boiling hot car and since we have no shade... well, the garage it is. Of course part of getting this done will be actually cleaning the garage again, but the biggest issue is that it is out only storage area and we have tons of stuff in there that we have been meaning to sell in a garage sale for about 4 years. Each year the sale gets put off due to people suddenly coming in from out of town, illness, last minute party invitations, etc. and the pile gets larger and larger. We really need to get the stuff out of there.
So the question keeps coming up- how to get rid of it without giving it away. We have a few options there and they are all kind of scaring me. So here they are and why they worry me... any input on which you think we should go for is appreciated.
1. Yard Sale- This takes away a whole weekend of time before Will gets here and still only knocks one thing off the list where we usually knock 7 or 8 things off in a weekend. Additionally, due to the weather, we can't do this until right before my due date which worries me.
2. Consignment Sale- One of the largest sales in our area is taking items in starting this week. I would have to jump NOW to get things all ready for the sale. I like how big the sale is because it means that it is THE sale that people go to, but the cost of selling there seems pretty steep. You get 70% of your price minus a $14 fee for selling things there. It scares me that if we don't sell alot of stuff there then we won't get any money at all. The money, should we get any, comes in a check a month after the sale is over. Oh- and the sale is 45 minutes away from here. Basically, if I can bust my behind and get this done like right now I can knock that off the list now, but I will be getting a lot less money and going way out of my way to do it.
3. Craigslist- My worry with craigslist is the time it consumes with meeting people to sell things. It is no longer safe to give people your address so we have to arrange a meeting place and then it seems that we are always just sitting there for an hour waiting on people to show up. Do that a few times and you have hit just as much time as it takes to have a yard sale! Crazy! Things do tend to sell for a little more money on craigslist though...
*special note to other craigslist sellers* Just because you paid $200 for a crib 5 years ago doesn't mean it is worth $190 now. Seriously people, this is resale. Your prices should be better than a sale price for something new at a real store!
So everybody- give me some input here because I am having some issues weighing the options and I am sure my poor hubby is tired of me changing my mind!
So the question keeps coming up- how to get rid of it without giving it away. We have a few options there and they are all kind of scaring me. So here they are and why they worry me... any input on which you think we should go for is appreciated.
1. Yard Sale- This takes away a whole weekend of time before Will gets here and still only knocks one thing off the list where we usually knock 7 or 8 things off in a weekend. Additionally, due to the weather, we can't do this until right before my due date which worries me.
2. Consignment Sale- One of the largest sales in our area is taking items in starting this week. I would have to jump NOW to get things all ready for the sale. I like how big the sale is because it means that it is THE sale that people go to, but the cost of selling there seems pretty steep. You get 70% of your price minus a $14 fee for selling things there. It scares me that if we don't sell alot of stuff there then we won't get any money at all. The money, should we get any, comes in a check a month after the sale is over. Oh- and the sale is 45 minutes away from here. Basically, if I can bust my behind and get this done like right now I can knock that off the list now, but I will be getting a lot less money and going way out of my way to do it.
3. Craigslist- My worry with craigslist is the time it consumes with meeting people to sell things. It is no longer safe to give people your address so we have to arrange a meeting place and then it seems that we are always just sitting there for an hour waiting on people to show up. Do that a few times and you have hit just as much time as it takes to have a yard sale! Crazy! Things do tend to sell for a little more money on craigslist though...
*special note to other craigslist sellers* Just because you paid $200 for a crib 5 years ago doesn't mean it is worth $190 now. Seriously people, this is resale. Your prices should be better than a sale price for something new at a real store!
So everybody- give me some input here because I am having some issues weighing the options and I am sure my poor hubby is tired of me changing my mind!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Where there's a Will...
I have kind of avoided writing this post for a while because I have been afraid that I wouldn't be able to put our feelings into words. Finally though, despite still feeling that I can't possibly express things well enough, I am going to write it.
We have chosen a name for our new little man. And the decision came, much like Jacob's name came, without arguing. It was a bit of a shock after all of the issues we had been having. The name just settled in and took root and there it was.
William Howard a.k.a. Will
It fits all of the criteria set forth, in amazing ways. William means protector. Howard means chief guardian. Wonderful attributes for a boy to grow in to a man possessing. Then there are the men he is named after. There are three men we are naming him after; Hubby's grandfather, my grandfather and my father. William in is honor of both Hubby's grandfather and my father. Howard is in honor of my grandfather.
Hubby's grandfather, whom he called Daddy Bill, passed before I ever got to know him but what I know of him makes me feel good about naming my baby after him. By all accounts he was a wonderful grandfather and father. When my husband talks about his childhood 90% of the time it is relating things he did with Daddy Bill. Daddy Bill taught him about being passionate about things, always gave him time and attention and treated him as an equal. Daddy Bill played with childhood games with him and yet, taught him to play golf. And I am guessing that means he had plenty of patience! I have to admit that I wish, on a regular basis, that I could have had the honor of knowing Daddy Bill, even if for just a short while.
My father was my hero growing up. I know all little girls idolize their daddy's, but how many still have their daddy's sitting on a pedestal at 25? I did. When I was very little he bought me a little pair of red barrettes with "I love football" on them and then proceeded to teach me all about the game and just when to yell at the refs. Haha. When I was slightly older he let go of my bicycle way before I thought I was ready because he believed I could do it. And when I got my first car my dad took me to the garage, handed me the Chilton's and told me to get the master cylinder rebuilt. My dad taught me that there wasn't anything I had to be scared to try. Of course, he also taught me just how far back I could bend my head if it helped avoid a power peel, how to avoid a shot rubber band and how to handle being pig piled by adults, but I digress.
My grandfather has always been my rock. When other people in this world have let me down or deserted me I always knew he was there. He has always known when to hug and when to talk. He never forces his opinions but can always make you understand his way of seeing things. He is a work horse and a genius rolled in to one. Before he retired he worked more hours every week than I knew there were in a week and still found time to farm. But he pulled it off to take care of his family. He has always been the safest place I know. I could go on, but being pregnant and all, I am getting super weepy thinking about these wonderful men.
So there you have it- William Howard and why.
We have chosen a name for our new little man. And the decision came, much like Jacob's name came, without arguing. It was a bit of a shock after all of the issues we had been having. The name just settled in and took root and there it was.
William Howard a.k.a. Will
It fits all of the criteria set forth, in amazing ways. William means protector. Howard means chief guardian. Wonderful attributes for a boy to grow in to a man possessing. Then there are the men he is named after. There are three men we are naming him after; Hubby's grandfather, my grandfather and my father. William in is honor of both Hubby's grandfather and my father. Howard is in honor of my grandfather.
Hubby's grandfather, whom he called Daddy Bill, passed before I ever got to know him but what I know of him makes me feel good about naming my baby after him. By all accounts he was a wonderful grandfather and father. When my husband talks about his childhood 90% of the time it is relating things he did with Daddy Bill. Daddy Bill taught him about being passionate about things, always gave him time and attention and treated him as an equal. Daddy Bill played with childhood games with him and yet, taught him to play golf. And I am guessing that means he had plenty of patience! I have to admit that I wish, on a regular basis, that I could have had the honor of knowing Daddy Bill, even if for just a short while.
My father was my hero growing up. I know all little girls idolize their daddy's, but how many still have their daddy's sitting on a pedestal at 25? I did. When I was very little he bought me a little pair of red barrettes with "I love football" on them and then proceeded to teach me all about the game and just when to yell at the refs. Haha. When I was slightly older he let go of my bicycle way before I thought I was ready because he believed I could do it. And when I got my first car my dad took me to the garage, handed me the Chilton's and told me to get the master cylinder rebuilt. My dad taught me that there wasn't anything I had to be scared to try. Of course, he also taught me just how far back I could bend my head if it helped avoid a power peel, how to avoid a shot rubber band and how to handle being pig piled by adults, but I digress.
My grandfather has always been my rock. When other people in this world have let me down or deserted me I always knew he was there. He has always known when to hug and when to talk. He never forces his opinions but can always make you understand his way of seeing things. He is a work horse and a genius rolled in to one. Before he retired he worked more hours every week than I knew there were in a week and still found time to farm. But he pulled it off to take care of his family. He has always been the safest place I know. I could go on, but being pregnant and all, I am getting super weepy thinking about these wonderful men.
So there you have it- William Howard and why.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Ack! Eeek!
I feel what time I have left to get things done just clicking away with each second. You know all the jokes about women's biological clocks? Well, my biological clock never ticked as loud as the organizational clock. I look around and feel like I can't possibly get everything done but also know that I just plain have to get it done. Just the thought of it all makes my neck and back contract and tighten to new heights of back ouch. And I feel constantly reminded that I can't get just enough done because once this baby gets here I will be struggling to heal from the surgery while taking care of my boys. It has to all get done. I have been trying to just knock out one thing a day that makes me go, "Yea! I accomplished something real!" But that feeling only lasts a few seconds before I think, "Oh, I have a million other things to get done and I don't have a million days to do them." I think I am going to have to resort to my old reliable coping technique- making lists! I am fully aware that my lists will be multiple pages but just thinking about crossing things off the lists makes me feel a little better, slightly more in control. Hubby doesn't always appreciate my lists because they overwhelm him but his preference, me not making lists and just trying to remember everything and keeping it at the front of my brain so that I can just tell him one "what's next?" at a time, overwhelms me! Wish us luck! And I will try to keep everyone updated on what we actually accomplish! Sad as it sounds I do believe todays big accomplishment will actually be the lists!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The results are in!
The results of my 3 hour blood glucose test are in and they show just exactly what I wanted them to show! No gestational diabetes this pregnancy! Woohoo!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Now that's a deal!
This probably won't be a very long post, but I just had to share our deal today somewhere! Today was the Babies R Us baby shower so, despite my feeling like a truck ran over my gut and drug an anchor through my sinuses, the family all headed to the store for a bit. When we got there we participated in a contest to see who could break down and put up a pack and play the fastest. My hubby kicked my behind and won a little prize. In my defense I had a five year old helper underfoot for mine. Anyway, after that we walked around to see what the deals they had running for the event happened to be. There were sale tags everywhere! We got all our closet organization stuff for 25% off each and we got two little outfits at 40% off the clearance prices. We were feeling pretty good. And that was when we spotted a playard on sale for $30 off. Hubby agreed to let me get it. Woohoo! $30 off of a $150 playard is pretty good. It took a while for the store to find the right box (they had three different prints of the same playard and in the end it was Hubby who found the right one) so I went to sit down at the nearby party table. After a minute they announced that they were going to have a diapering race. Boogie asked me to participate so I did... and I whooped up on those girls! He he! I haven't lost it! Anyway, I collected my prize and then we went to check out. Now to get the 40% off of the clearance outfits I had to get a person from customer service to come scan a coupon. While she was there she noticed that she had one that applied to our playard so she scanned that one too! That means that in the end our playard was $50 off! What? I paid for a new playard what a bunch of people on craigslist are charging for their old ones! Hubby and I are both super excited about it. I, for one, have been stressed about the cost of some of the stuff we need to get since we have so little left from when Boogie was born. After today we can say we have two more main things taken care of! Oh and we already set up the playard. We don't want the kitties world to all change in one day and freak them out and we want the time we have to teach them that the playard is not a place for them to nap! Anyway, just excited and had to share! :)
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