*if you normally are a lurker or read every now and again and have never or rarely commented, leave a comment just this one time ... I enjoy and appreciate acknowledging those that take the time to follow me. Leave your footprint on my 2008.
Reposting for those who missed it the first time, or didn't have time to comment:
"As 2008 comes to a close, I always try to relate a word with the year. This year the word seems to be Transition … I have gone from TTC for years, to Pregnant, to a mother. Talk about having to deal with a boat load of feelings/issues in a relatively small amount of time. I wanted so badly to be pregnant, and was undergoing treatment, but then Bam, One day everything changes. I was injecting med’s to assist folly growth, then Overnight, I became pregnant. No I am not complaining – Of course I was hoping to achieve pregnancy some day, But I did not allow myself to consider that eventually I would actually be pregnant. Then I had 10 months to adjust to pregnancy. But what I discovered in those 10 months is that most of that time is pressed to prepare for what comes after the pregnancy. So I felt like I was trying to adjust to pregnancy but being hurried to plan for motherhood .. I understand they are usually directly related …. But I didn’t directly relate them much. Then one morning I woke up and found out that I was going to deliver a baby. Then I delivered said baby and now I am here. In this place where I am now called a Mother ..It’s very daunting to try and sort through all of this in a very limited time frame. I am sure it is done with ease by many..but I guess I am just slow ..So, Here I am trying to sort through all of what has become …. Do you have a word that you will associate 2008 with?"
2009 will be here is 9 hours and 40 minutes. I am ready for the New Year to kick off. I am ready to experience what 2009 has for me and my new family. I am ready to see what 2009 has in store for all of you.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Pictures First ......
It seems forever since I have had 30 mins to myself. I have had some many thoughts of wanting to blog (for my sanity) and no time to actually do it.
S0 - Here I am having a few minutes to myself and hoping to get all that I wanted to blog out of my head.
Post Surgery - The first few days were pretty rough. They did give him anesthesia and an epidural .. Then before we left to go home, they gave him Tylenol with codeine. I was instructed to administer more doses every 4ish hours. I was not extremely comfortable giving him the Tylenol w codeine after I saw that it pretty much zonked him out. He was pretty drugged and unresponsive (unless he was pee-ing or had peed) So it was pretty challenging to get liquids in him. So the second day, I called and asked if I could try Motrin instead. Motrin seemed to be able to manage the pain and allow me to get him to eat. He only seemed to have discomfort when he peed. The first time he peed was absolutely heartbreaking. He screamed and screamed. After the second time of him screaming while peeing, We actually realized that he made this certain face. We were able to tell before he was going to pee therefore, we could be on the way to change the diaper to help the sting/burning We think he was feeling. By the third day, He would just get that look on his face of discomfort and no screaming. I was glad that he was feeling some relief. By the fourth day, I think he was just a little sore. The surgery also made him aware that there was "something" down there. He has never noticed it before. But Lately, he seems to have "found something" there. I am hoping that he will forget about it again for a while.
MT has regressed with taking naps. II have mention this before, it's been ever since I have started back to work .. It just got much worse this week. I am blaming surgery .. but I can't blame it for long. His naps this week, would only happen, by being rocked, swung, and soothed to sleep. I am hoping that He will be able to go back to just being laid down drowsy and sleep (w.o screaming his head off) I am unsure if I should be concerned or if this too shall pass .... My husband seems to think that this too shall pass ... He says it's a phase and a way to get comfort.
Christmas Eve -was hectic and I was stressed out trying to get to church on time to meet my parents. E was working and It is just simply hard to get me and an infant dressed up, packed up and arrive on somewhere on time. I tip my hat to all the Single moms out there. I am not sure how you do it.
Thursday night - Christmas night, We had dinner with the neighbors, like we do for Thanksgiving. With all the overstimulating company and whatnot, he did very well considering. He was cranky, whiny and clingy ... It was not the first Christmas I had imagined, but Life has a way of doing that. It's nothing like the movies (for me anyways) .. A few hours each day spent in a dark room trying to calm my child down from meltdown modes....
So that brings us to Friday. and with all of this cluster-overstimulating Christmas company and healing boy-part issues, I failed to notice the teething signs. Poor kid has both top teeth coming through. You can actually feel them .... So, After recovering from the surgery, We are now dealing with Teeth. Have I mention that MT does not do teething well. AT ALL ..... Rolls eyes...... I was so focused on getting through the issue at hand, I totally failed to recognize the teething signs. So, Yes Now teething.
Last night, my family had our Christmas dinner. Well, I should say, they had Christmas dinner and I had a screaming overstimulated tired, teething cranky baby on my hands. E and I ate dinner in shifts and then we quickly loaded up the car and practically ran out the door. MT was done. As soon as we got home, gave him a bath and fed him a bottle. He was just as happy as could be. Talking up an storm and smiling his lil face off. It's so hard to explain to others that he just needs a break from being passed around ... I am not sure why that is so hard for people to understand. And so far, if he cries at strangers they can't figure out why he is so whiny ........ And if I hear "he needs to get over that" .... one more time... I may punch someone ..... I told E that I was going to take the Tylenol w/ codeine to be able to enjoy the rest of the visits.
I better get ready to head out. My sister and grandmother are still in town and Want to spend as much time w/ MT as possible. I hope everyone had fairly decent time with your family.
It seems forever since I have had 30 mins to myself. I have had some many thoughts of wanting to blog (for my sanity) and no time to actually do it.
S0 - Here I am having a few minutes to myself and hoping to get all that I wanted to blog out of my head.
Post Surgery - The first few days were pretty rough. They did give him anesthesia and an epidural .. Then before we left to go home, they gave him Tylenol with codeine. I was instructed to administer more doses every 4ish hours. I was not extremely comfortable giving him the Tylenol w codeine after I saw that it pretty much zonked him out. He was pretty drugged and unresponsive (unless he was pee-ing or had peed) So it was pretty challenging to get liquids in him. So the second day, I called and asked if I could try Motrin instead. Motrin seemed to be able to manage the pain and allow me to get him to eat. He only seemed to have discomfort when he peed. The first time he peed was absolutely heartbreaking. He screamed and screamed. After the second time of him screaming while peeing, We actually realized that he made this certain face. We were able to tell before he was going to pee therefore, we could be on the way to change the diaper to help the sting/burning We think he was feeling. By the third day, He would just get that look on his face of discomfort and no screaming. I was glad that he was feeling some relief. By the fourth day, I think he was just a little sore. The surgery also made him aware that there was "something" down there. He has never noticed it before. But Lately, he seems to have "found something" there. I am hoping that he will forget about it again for a while.
MT has regressed with taking naps. II have mention this before, it's been ever since I have started back to work .. It just got much worse this week. I am blaming surgery .. but I can't blame it for long. His naps this week, would only happen, by being rocked, swung, and soothed to sleep. I am hoping that He will be able to go back to just being laid down drowsy and sleep (w.o screaming his head off) I am unsure if I should be concerned or if this too shall pass .... My husband seems to think that this too shall pass ... He says it's a phase and a way to get comfort.
Christmas Eve -was hectic and I was stressed out trying to get to church on time to meet my parents. E was working and It is just simply hard to get me and an infant dressed up, packed up and arrive on somewhere on time. I tip my hat to all the Single moms out there. I am not sure how you do it.
Thursday night - Christmas night, We had dinner with the neighbors, like we do for Thanksgiving. With all the overstimulating company and whatnot, he did very well considering. He was cranky, whiny and clingy ... It was not the first Christmas I had imagined, but Life has a way of doing that. It's nothing like the movies (for me anyways) .. A few hours each day spent in a dark room trying to calm my child down from meltdown modes....
So that brings us to Friday. and with all of this cluster-overstimulating Christmas company and healing boy-part issues, I failed to notice the teething signs. Poor kid has both top teeth coming through. You can actually feel them .... So, After recovering from the surgery, We are now dealing with Teeth. Have I mention that MT does not do teething well. AT ALL ..... Rolls eyes...... I was so focused on getting through the issue at hand, I totally failed to recognize the teething signs. So, Yes Now teething.
Last night, my family had our Christmas dinner. Well, I should say, they had Christmas dinner and I had a screaming overstimulated tired, teething cranky baby on my hands. E and I ate dinner in shifts and then we quickly loaded up the car and practically ran out the door. MT was done. As soon as we got home, gave him a bath and fed him a bottle. He was just as happy as could be. Talking up an storm and smiling his lil face off. It's so hard to explain to others that he just needs a break from being passed around ... I am not sure why that is so hard for people to understand. And so far, if he cries at strangers they can't figure out why he is so whiny ........ And if I hear "he needs to get over that" .... one more time... I may punch someone ..... I told E that I was going to take the Tylenol w/ codeine to be able to enjoy the rest of the visits.
I better get ready to head out. My sister and grandmother are still in town and Want to spend as much time w/ MT as possible. I hope everyone had fairly decent time with your family.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Super Trooper
Last night was not a good night of sleep f or me. Apparently, I was more nervous then I realized. I went to bed late, laid there, then at 4:30am i woke up and could not go back to sleep. I tried to wake MT up to feed him. He was not having any of it.. He just would go right back to sleep. I tried and tried until about 6am. I am not sure I managed to get any real amounts of food in him ..
We left for the hospital around 6:40am and arrived around 7:20. We checked in and began waiting. Unfortunately, we waited until about 8:45/9am before they actually took him back for surgery. He actually did amazingly well. Considering his last real feeding was at 9pm last night. A few times we had to distract him from remembering it was time to eat but that was it really. He never had a meltdown about waiting. In check in - they told me that they would give him a bottle of sugar water after the surgery was over and he woke up. I asked if I could nurse him instead. The nurse informed me that since MT takes bottles they would just go ahead and try the sugar water .... I was annoyed but it was early and I was in no mood to argue. So I let it go. We said our goodbyes and the nurse carried him into the OR. He didn't cry, which helped ease my mind. My husband, on the other hand, was a wreck. You could see it all over him. We switched roles today. I think it is because I have had surgery and been in hospitals more than he has.
The dr came out about 55 mins and told us that he was done and they everything went well and that MT was on his way unto the PACU for recovery. He sent us to the nurses station to retrieve a pager so we would know when MT was ready for us to see him. About 25 mins later, my pager went off. Apparently, they tried to give him sugar water and he lost it. He was so pissed off by the time I got back there. I tried to explain to the nurse that he hates those rubber nipples on those hospital bottles. We realized that from when he was born and we had such a hard time feeding him with those nipples. I told the PACU nurse that I tried to explain that to the other nurse at check in but she wasn't interested in hearing me out. Regardless, I was able to nurse him and get his heart rate/blood pressure back down which was what the nurse was considered about. After he calmed down, I walked him to our post- op/waiting room. He saw my dad and was just bouncing with joy and glee. He babbled on and on to my father and ate a bottle and a half while we were waiting for the new nurse to send us on our way.
They send us home with instructions and some pain meds. He woke up at home a few hours ago and went to the bathroom and just screamed his little head off about it. The bandage fell off, we changed the diaper. And haven't had any signs of discomfort since. I am going to give him some of the pain meds tonight because I do not want him to wake up in the middle of the night in pain ..
Over all - pretty spectacular. Couldn't have asked for a better response from a 6 month old. We go back for a follow up visit in 2 weeks.
We left for the hospital around 6:40am and arrived around 7:20. We checked in and began waiting. Unfortunately, we waited until about 8:45/9am before they actually took him back for surgery. He actually did amazingly well. Considering his last real feeding was at 9pm last night. A few times we had to distract him from remembering it was time to eat but that was it really. He never had a meltdown about waiting. In check in - they told me that they would give him a bottle of sugar water after the surgery was over and he woke up. I asked if I could nurse him instead. The nurse informed me that since MT takes bottles they would just go ahead and try the sugar water .... I was annoyed but it was early and I was in no mood to argue. So I let it go. We said our goodbyes and the nurse carried him into the OR. He didn't cry, which helped ease my mind. My husband, on the other hand, was a wreck. You could see it all over him. We switched roles today. I think it is because I have had surgery and been in hospitals more than he has.
The dr came out about 55 mins and told us that he was done and they everything went well and that MT was on his way unto the PACU for recovery. He sent us to the nurses station to retrieve a pager so we would know when MT was ready for us to see him. About 25 mins later, my pager went off. Apparently, they tried to give him sugar water and he lost it. He was so pissed off by the time I got back there. I tried to explain to the nurse that he hates those rubber nipples on those hospital bottles. We realized that from when he was born and we had such a hard time feeding him with those nipples. I told the PACU nurse that I tried to explain that to the other nurse at check in but she wasn't interested in hearing me out. Regardless, I was able to nurse him and get his heart rate/blood pressure back down which was what the nurse was considered about. After he calmed down, I walked him to our post- op/waiting room. He saw my dad and was just bouncing with joy and glee. He babbled on and on to my father and ate a bottle and a half while we were waiting for the new nurse to send us on our way.
They send us home with instructions and some pain meds. He woke up at home a few hours ago and went to the bathroom and just screamed his little head off about it. The bandage fell off, we changed the diaper. And haven't had any signs of discomfort since. I am going to give him some of the pain meds tonight because I do not want him to wake up in the middle of the night in pain ..
Over all - pretty spectacular. Couldn't have asked for a better response from a 6 month old. We go back for a follow up visit in 2 weeks.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Proving I can leave the house before 9am
MT has surgery in the morning. (to correct some male related issues) I am not as nervous as I thought I would be, yet. I am sure tomorrow standing there in the hospital turning my baby over to the surgical team, that is when I will start panicking. I kept him up a little late tonight to try to get more fluids in him. I can breastfeed him until 6am. We have to be at the hospital at 7:30am. I am actually very nervous about his demeanor tomorrow morning after 6 am when I can no longer feed him. He is not a calm, mellow fellow when it comes to food. He is quite loud and demanding when he wants to eat. I think I am so nervous about that aspect of the morning that I haven't even allowed myself to get as far as thinking about the actual procedure and anesthesia part of the day. I did cling to him alittle tighter today. I did hold him pretty much every nap today ... Just because I can.
We actually made it to church this morning. Church is during one of his naptimes. Which is one reason why we haven't been much in the mornings. I was worried how this would work for us. But, he sat in my lap and played with his monkey, then got sleepy. He laid his head down on my shoulder while we were standing and singing. I put the blanket over him, bounced him and he just went to sleep until the service was over. I tried to get him in the car seat but that's when he woke up. He really is a good boy.
One good thing that returning to work p/t has done has allowed me to figure out how to get out of the house before 9am with my child. This weekend, we have left the house before 9am both mornings. Saturday morning, we went to a Christmas parade. The library had people giving books to children throughout the parade. I thought that was a fantastic idea. We walked away with a ton of books. MT was sleeping for the beginning when about 15 fire trucks and police vehicles were announcing the start of the parade with their sirens. This kid really could sleep through anything..
I started my period today. I can't wait until tomorrow. I can begin taking tylenol again. Since MT couldn't have any meds before his surgery, I figured I better not as well.... but boy could I use some cramp relief .... and SOON
I'll leave you with our christmas card for the yr:
I wish everyone a very blessed season.
If you have any input on car seats, please help those of us getting ready to purchase new ones.
We actually made it to church this morning. Church is during one of his naptimes. Which is one reason why we haven't been much in the mornings. I was worried how this would work for us. But, he sat in my lap and played with his monkey, then got sleepy. He laid his head down on my shoulder while we were standing and singing. I put the blanket over him, bounced him and he just went to sleep until the service was over. I tried to get him in the car seat but that's when he woke up. He really is a good boy.
One good thing that returning to work p/t has done has allowed me to figure out how to get out of the house before 9am with my child. This weekend, we have left the house before 9am both mornings. Saturday morning, we went to a Christmas parade. The library had people giving books to children throughout the parade. I thought that was a fantastic idea. We walked away with a ton of books. MT was sleeping for the beginning when about 15 fire trucks and police vehicles were announcing the start of the parade with their sirens. This kid really could sleep through anything..
I started my period today. I can't wait until tomorrow. I can begin taking tylenol again. Since MT couldn't have any meds before his surgery, I figured I better not as well.... but boy could I use some cramp relief .... and SOON
I'll leave you with our christmas card for the yr:
I wish everyone a very blessed season.
If you have any input on car seats, please help those of us getting ready to purchase new ones.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Carseats .. Leave your opinions please
Thank you everyone for your support on my last post .. we are working through it. I think we have a few compounded reasons for all the mishappenings and slowly but surely we will just get through them all. We have had a pretty fun weekend. And nap/sleeping have been done with ease for now. No more biting .. Thank god because, I am not sure it could take anymore abuse like that for a while.
I measured MT yesterday to make sure that we were still within the limitations on his car seat. He was measuring ~29inches. (not sure what his weight is but it is no where near the 30lbs limit) With him being ~29 inches, I have 1 more inch to go before he outgrows the seat requirements. So I really need to on the ball and order a new car seat. I have been trying to get my husband to help with this decision, but he told me "buy what i wanted" ... GREAT.. too bad We weren't discussing cars, jewelry, or animals ... Not extremely helpful. So, I have some questions that maybe you experts could help me out on.
I know that the brit.ax seems to be a popular choice. The rou.ndabout seems to have a lower height max than the marat.hon by 9 inches. That seems to be the major difference ... Oh and that Money thing. That's about $80 difference depending what website and week it is. But I know there are other car seats besides brit.ax.
Now here is my questions:
Do/Did you use your second car seat until your child is/was 49inches/65lbs?
What I am asking is, in the practical exercise, did you really use your car seat for that long? ~4 yrs for the same child? Is it likely to happen?
I want a safe car seat, I do not want to cut corners on safety, but I want to make sure that I send my money wisely. Consumer reports rates the eve.nflo triump.h line at a higher ranking than the br.itax. (could that be because of the money savings?) The ev.enflo is rank 1 the rou.ndabout is rank 2. The rou.ndabout received a very good for infant belt crash whereas the evenflo received an excellent .. They are $100 difference. This is a big difference. The overall rankings for both are the same score. The ma.rathon is ranked 4th. It only received a good rating in the infant latch crash protection and fair in the infant latch fit in vehicles. (i assume that is because the seat's dimensions are large to accommodate a 65lb'er). The overal mar.athon ranking was 30 points less than the 1-2 ranked.
Ok with all that said. There is a new evenflo symphony that has caught my eye. It's a new car seat that goes from 5-100 lbs. It's pretty new, not a whole lot of positive feedback from it. But it is new ... Anyone else see it? What are ordering, going to order? Have thoughts? What convertible seats are you using? There are tons ... Give me your opinions
I measured MT yesterday to make sure that we were still within the limitations on his car seat. He was measuring ~29inches. (not sure what his weight is but it is no where near the 30lbs limit) With him being ~29 inches, I have 1 more inch to go before he outgrows the seat requirements. So I really need to on the ball and order a new car seat. I have been trying to get my husband to help with this decision, but he told me "buy what i wanted" ... GREAT.. too bad We weren't discussing cars, jewelry, or animals ... Not extremely helpful. So, I have some questions that maybe you experts could help me out on.
I know that the brit.ax seems to be a popular choice. The rou.ndabout seems to have a lower height max than the marat.hon by 9 inches. That seems to be the major difference ... Oh and that Money thing. That's about $80 difference depending what website and week it is. But I know there are other car seats besides brit.ax.
Now here is my questions:
Do/Did you use your second car seat until your child is/was 49inches/65lbs?
What I am asking is, in the practical exercise, did you really use your car seat for that long? ~4 yrs for the same child? Is it likely to happen?
I want a safe car seat, I do not want to cut corners on safety, but I want to make sure that I send my money wisely. Consumer reports rates the eve.nflo triump.h line at a higher ranking than the br.itax. (could that be because of the money savings?) The ev.enflo is rank 1 the rou.ndabout is rank 2. The rou.ndabout received a very good for infant belt crash whereas the evenflo received an excellent .. They are $100 difference. This is a big difference. The overall rankings for both are the same score. The ma.rathon is ranked 4th. It only received a good rating in the infant latch crash protection and fair in the infant latch fit in vehicles. (i assume that is because the seat's dimensions are large to accommodate a 65lb'er). The overal mar.athon ranking was 30 points less than the 1-2 ranked.
Ok with all that said. There is a new evenflo symphony that has caught my eye. It's a new car seat that goes from 5-100 lbs. It's pretty new, not a whole lot of positive feedback from it. But it is new ... Anyone else see it? What are ordering, going to order? Have thoughts? What convertible seats are you using? There are tons ... Give me your opinions
Thursday, December 18, 2008
wholatta changes going on
This past week We have been having some not-so-typical scenarios with MT. In fact last night, i actually said out loud "Who is this child and what have they done with my baby". ..
Over the past week, My husband and I have took turns watching him since I returned to work p/t. On my first day off last week, MT pretty much flat out refused to sleep for naps. I thought maybe he was actually getting sick. Not that I was wishing sickness on him, but I received a memo from the urologists office that stated I could not give MT, any immunizations, Motrin, Tylenol, or any herbal medications for 2 weeks prior to his surgery and If he was to get sick, we would have to reschedule .. So i figured Murphy's law was going to play into effect here.
So I kept checking his temp throughout that day, but he never had a fever. So I figured, it was just going to be "that kind of day". Well, the next day .. I received the same reactions of meltdowns when placing him down for naps ... He would get a little mad, grunt, start working up the cries then would hit def-con level around 10 minutes of attempting a nap.
I figured it must be just another one of those days. Well this pattern has now continued for a week and a day. (this is how long I have been back to work) So I figure now thre is a reason for this .... I am just unable to pinpoint exactly why.
Now def-con level is reached ~2 minutes of attempting to give him a nap and is now spilling over into bedtime. So FUN TIMES at the Fertilized household.
I have put alot of brain power in trying to figure out how to "fix" the problem. Today, I told my husband, to try and offer him more food, Maybe he is hungry. We will see if that helps anything.
Before all of this, We had a really good established bedtime pattern. So last night, we attempted the bedtime gear up ... bathed, pj's, some bfing, diaper check and then I place him down, awake but calm .... put the blanket over his head ..... a few minutes later, he enters dream world ...
Last night was our absolute worst night thus far in 6 months. We did everything like normal. He was fine at first .. then all hell broke loose ... he started to gnash, wraith and fuss .. So I stopped bf-ing him and was trying to figure out what was wrong.... I look back now and think he almost fell asleep and was trying to keep himself awake. He started rooting for more bf-ing so I held him and got him latched back on .... next thing I remember was he bit the crap out of me so freaking hard that I yelped, screamed, pushed him towards my chest and flicked him in the face all at the same time .... He Laughed ... I was DONE ..I looked down and there was blood all over his face, his pj's, my tanktop etc... I was beyond pissed off and in pain .. E took him and placed him in his bed. MT screamed and screamed and screamed some more ... I felt horrible, guilty, confused, pissed, sad, desperate, etc.
E said that he needed to lay there and cry for a good few minutes. I was in pain and cleaning myself up that I actually found myself agreeing to let my child lay there and cry for a while. After standing near the door watching/listening to him for a while, I went in there and rubbed his stomach and face trying to get him to calm down. He screamed harder and louder. I flipped him over on his tummy and tried patting his little bottom .. he still continued to scream and scream ... I just finally had enough. I picked him up, tried swaddling him and shushing. It worked for a while, then he lost it all over again ..... After about a hour of this, I offered him a 2oz bottle, he drank 1 oz and conked out ....
I am not sure if this is the new norm, a phase, an effect of my going back to work part time, teething, or an unknown variable that we do not even know about yet. What I do know is that what ever this is .. It is not in the least bit enjoyable ... We will pull through, We will survive. We will. But Man o' man, what a challenge.
I am looking forward to being off work for a week. I am not looking forward that in that time off I have to take MT to have surgery Monday.
Over the past week, My husband and I have took turns watching him since I returned to work p/t. On my first day off last week, MT pretty much flat out refused to sleep for naps. I thought maybe he was actually getting sick. Not that I was wishing sickness on him, but I received a memo from the urologists office that stated I could not give MT, any immunizations, Motrin, Tylenol, or any herbal medications for 2 weeks prior to his surgery and If he was to get sick, we would have to reschedule .. So i figured Murphy's law was going to play into effect here.
So I kept checking his temp throughout that day, but he never had a fever. So I figured, it was just going to be "that kind of day". Well, the next day .. I received the same reactions of meltdowns when placing him down for naps ... He would get a little mad, grunt, start working up the cries then would hit def-con level around 10 minutes of attempting a nap.
I figured it must be just another one of those days. Well this pattern has now continued for a week and a day. (this is how long I have been back to work) So I figure now thre is a reason for this .... I am just unable to pinpoint exactly why.
Now def-con level is reached ~2 minutes of attempting to give him a nap and is now spilling over into bedtime. So FUN TIMES at the Fertilized household.
I have put alot of brain power in trying to figure out how to "fix" the problem. Today, I told my husband, to try and offer him more food, Maybe he is hungry. We will see if that helps anything.
Before all of this, We had a really good established bedtime pattern. So last night, we attempted the bedtime gear up ... bathed, pj's, some bfing, diaper check and then I place him down, awake but calm .... put the blanket over his head ..... a few minutes later, he enters dream world ...
Last night was our absolute worst night thus far in 6 months. We did everything like normal. He was fine at first .. then all hell broke loose ... he started to gnash, wraith and fuss .. So I stopped bf-ing him and was trying to figure out what was wrong.... I look back now and think he almost fell asleep and was trying to keep himself awake. He started rooting for more bf-ing so I held him and got him latched back on .... next thing I remember was he bit the crap out of me so freaking hard that I yelped, screamed, pushed him towards my chest and flicked him in the face all at the same time .... He Laughed ... I was DONE ..I looked down and there was blood all over his face, his pj's, my tanktop etc... I was beyond pissed off and in pain .. E took him and placed him in his bed. MT screamed and screamed and screamed some more ... I felt horrible, guilty, confused, pissed, sad, desperate, etc.
E said that he needed to lay there and cry for a good few minutes. I was in pain and cleaning myself up that I actually found myself agreeing to let my child lay there and cry for a while. After standing near the door watching/listening to him for a while, I went in there and rubbed his stomach and face trying to get him to calm down. He screamed harder and louder. I flipped him over on his tummy and tried patting his little bottom .. he still continued to scream and scream ... I just finally had enough. I picked him up, tried swaddling him and shushing. It worked for a while, then he lost it all over again ..... After about a hour of this, I offered him a 2oz bottle, he drank 1 oz and conked out ....
I am not sure if this is the new norm, a phase, an effect of my going back to work part time, teething, or an unknown variable that we do not even know about yet. What I do know is that what ever this is .. It is not in the least bit enjoyable ... We will pull through, We will survive. We will. But Man o' man, what a challenge.
I am looking forward to being off work for a week. I am not looking forward that in that time off I have to take MT to have surgery Monday.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sweater Christmaweseomeness
I read the funniest thing off another blog that originated on Jon Acuff's blog over at http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/
Please enjoy:
I think all women over the age of 40 have a hidden walk-in closet built into their houses that is full of bedazzled, bejeweled, and bespangled (which is a real word…click the link if you don’t believe me) Christmas sweaters. The day after Thanksgiving, they go into their secret chamber of wooly Christmas spirit and arrange the shelves of the closet like an advent calendar of sweatery splendor. They adorn each one proudly, with the majesty and merriment of all the snow angels in the world.
So, here’s the big question: how can you know if your Christmas sweater is truly Christmawesome?
Official Point System of Sweater Christmaweseomeness:
1. If your sweater has a nativity scene = +1 point
2. If your sweater has lights on it = +1 point
3. If your light is for Rudolph’s nose = -1 point
4. If your light is for the star of Bethlehem over your nativity scene = +4 points
5. If your sweater has actual bells and whistles from the Polar Express tied on by pieces of yarn = +2 points
6. If you can hear the bells = -2 points
7. If every time one of the bells rings, you get excited because an angel just got its wings = + 1 point
8. If your sweater has Luke 2 written out on it (the entire chapter) = +3 points
9. If it is KJV = +2 points
10. If it is actually a puff paint sweatshirt, which is really just a Christmas sweater wannabe = -3 points
11. If your sweater was knitted from the wool of a Bethlehemian sheep = +5 points
12. If you have more than 5 snowmen/women on your sweater = +2 points (+1 point for each additional snowperson)
13. If any of your snowmen are inspired by Calvin and Hobbes = +4 points
14. If it is a maternity sweater that reads “Mary is My Homegirl” = +10 points
15. If your sweater has stockings with your kids’ names on it = +1 point for each child
16. If the stockings are your kids’ used socks = -2 points for each sock
17. If it has a 3-D hologram of baby Jesus on it = +3 points
18. If it has candy canes on it = -4 points… I’m going to use this platform of SCL to take a stand against candy canes, a.k.a. carnage canes. Candy canes become sharp and dangerous once licked. It's like putting an ice pick in your mouth and poking it around. I'm sorry, but if I want the flavors of mint and blood to mix in my mouth, I'll go to the dentist. This injustice needs to stop now, so we're starting a boycott of candy canes effective immediately. I think it’s the Southern Baptist roots in me that really wanted to start a boycott. That’s why I started Humans Against Candy Knives, or H.A.C.K. Join the fight on the Facebook group I started.
19. If it has any other kind of cane on it= +2 points. This could be one of the wise men’s canes, sugar canes, or even hurricanes. Just as long as they’re not candy canes.
How did you score?
0-3 points= Sorry to break the news, but you might be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.
4-7 points= You’re rockin’ a mighty fine piece of holiday merriment, my friend. Just don’t wear your sweater and your light up reindeer antlers at the same time. That would be tacky.
8-10 points= “Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.” –Job 40:10
11-13 points= Bill Cosby called. He wants his sweater back.
14+ points= You are the embodiment of Christmawesomeness. There are probably three men coming from afar to shower you with gifts as you read this.Less than zero points= Apparently you love candy canes.
How Christmawesome are your Christmas sweaters? Please post links in the comments section to a picture of you sporting your sweater.
Please enjoy:
I think all women over the age of 40 have a hidden walk-in closet built into their houses that is full of bedazzled, bejeweled, and bespangled (which is a real word…click the link if you don’t believe me) Christmas sweaters. The day after Thanksgiving, they go into their secret chamber of wooly Christmas spirit and arrange the shelves of the closet like an advent calendar of sweatery splendor. They adorn each one proudly, with the majesty and merriment of all the snow angels in the world.
So, here’s the big question: how can you know if your Christmas sweater is truly Christmawesome?
Official Point System of Sweater Christmaweseomeness:
1. If your sweater has a nativity scene = +1 point
2. If your sweater has lights on it = +1 point
3. If your light is for Rudolph’s nose = -1 point
4. If your light is for the star of Bethlehem over your nativity scene = +4 points
5. If your sweater has actual bells and whistles from the Polar Express tied on by pieces of yarn = +2 points
6. If you can hear the bells = -2 points
7. If every time one of the bells rings, you get excited because an angel just got its wings = + 1 point
8. If your sweater has Luke 2 written out on it (the entire chapter) = +3 points
9. If it is KJV = +2 points
10. If it is actually a puff paint sweatshirt, which is really just a Christmas sweater wannabe = -3 points
11. If your sweater was knitted from the wool of a Bethlehemian sheep = +5 points
12. If you have more than 5 snowmen/women on your sweater = +2 points (+1 point for each additional snowperson)
13. If any of your snowmen are inspired by Calvin and Hobbes = +4 points
14. If it is a maternity sweater that reads “Mary is My Homegirl” = +10 points
15. If your sweater has stockings with your kids’ names on it = +1 point for each child
16. If the stockings are your kids’ used socks = -2 points for each sock
17. If it has a 3-D hologram of baby Jesus on it = +3 points
18. If it has candy canes on it = -4 points… I’m going to use this platform of SCL to take a stand against candy canes, a.k.a. carnage canes. Candy canes become sharp and dangerous once licked. It's like putting an ice pick in your mouth and poking it around. I'm sorry, but if I want the flavors of mint and blood to mix in my mouth, I'll go to the dentist. This injustice needs to stop now, so we're starting a boycott of candy canes effective immediately. I think it’s the Southern Baptist roots in me that really wanted to start a boycott. That’s why I started Humans Against Candy Knives, or H.A.C.K. Join the fight on the Facebook group I started.
19. If it has any other kind of cane on it= +2 points. This could be one of the wise men’s canes, sugar canes, or even hurricanes. Just as long as they’re not candy canes.
How did you score?
0-3 points= Sorry to break the news, but you might be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.
4-7 points= You’re rockin’ a mighty fine piece of holiday merriment, my friend. Just don’t wear your sweater and your light up reindeer antlers at the same time. That would be tacky.
8-10 points= “Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.” –Job 40:10
11-13 points= Bill Cosby called. He wants his sweater back.
14+ points= You are the embodiment of Christmawesomeness. There are probably three men coming from afar to shower you with gifts as you read this.Less than zero points= Apparently you love candy canes.
How Christmawesome are your Christmas sweaters? Please post links in the comments section to a picture of you sporting your sweater.
Monday, December 15, 2008
a white flag?
i re-read my last post and I wanted to clarify that just because some times the eyes instantly shut, this does not mean that the cries or tears do ;) It just can't be that simple ..... I wish. But I do feel that as time goes on, The naps come easier and the days get more fluid. ... Some days.
I witnessed my cute lil baby totally play into my husband yesterday. I was off to the grocery store and We were having a rough morning of screaming and tears for no reason we were able to figure out. I called E to let him know that I was on my way home and could still hear a screaming child in the background (i left 55 mins ago)... E said that MT still did not want to be put down at all. So E was playing with him while holding him on the floor. I was dragging the groceries in and E wanted to jump in the shower. I told E to just put him in the exersaucer, I was almost done, I would grab him as soon as I had all the cold things put away. MT screamed as if E had slammed his hands in a car door ... Until E walked away from him ...... As soon as E was out of his sight line, He stopped crying and started playing with the toys on the saucer. THIS IS HUGE For us .. MT has NEVER actually stopped crying before on his own with some one having to do something about it. To say that he comes complete with my stubbornness would be an understatement. I felt so giddy with glee that he actually stopped crying on his own ..... Granted it was the first time I actually remember him stopping on his own w/o getting what he wanted but I am proud none the less. I hope that means that we will get a few more of these situations where he is able to do this in the future. Normally if he gets to crying and being upset, He will outlast the energizer bunny unless we cave .... but yesterday, he retreated .. and I feel more confident that there is room to learn and adjust.
I witnessed my cute lil baby totally play into my husband yesterday. I was off to the grocery store and We were having a rough morning of screaming and tears for no reason we were able to figure out. I called E to let him know that I was on my way home and could still hear a screaming child in the background (i left 55 mins ago)... E said that MT still did not want to be put down at all. So E was playing with him while holding him on the floor. I was dragging the groceries in and E wanted to jump in the shower. I told E to just put him in the exersaucer, I was almost done, I would grab him as soon as I had all the cold things put away. MT screamed as if E had slammed his hands in a car door ... Until E walked away from him ...... As soon as E was out of his sight line, He stopped crying and started playing with the toys on the saucer. THIS IS HUGE For us .. MT has NEVER actually stopped crying before on his own with some one having to do something about it. To say that he comes complete with my stubbornness would be an understatement. I felt so giddy with glee that he actually stopped crying on his own ..... Granted it was the first time I actually remember him stopping on his own w/o getting what he wanted but I am proud none the less. I hope that means that we will get a few more of these situations where he is able to do this in the future. Normally if he gets to crying and being upset, He will outlast the energizer bunny unless we cave .... but yesterday, he retreated .. and I feel more confident that there is room to learn and adjust.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
6 months
Little Late but .. Have I mentioned that I have a 6 month old ... Where does the time go?
Things note worthy:
Things note worthy:
- MT thoroughly enjoys standing. He likes to hold onto your fingers, or his bouncy chair, etc and rock from foot to foot (side to side). He could do this for hours. He gets weary but insists on still trying.
- We had a bedtime routine down. A week before I went back to work, He decided he would demand a new bedtime routine that resembles chaos ... Just to keep us guessing. I was told that from 4-6 months they can develop a new sleep routine .... I guess we are one of those statistics? But We will make it work. It's not that terrible, So far once we get him to sleep, he will sleep for about 7-10 hours .. So I am not complaining at all. It just was one more thing that I was not expecting.
- He can fully sit on his own and pull himself up on things.
- He rocks the exersaucer back and forth until it looks like it is totally going to tip over ...
- He is finally eating solids pretty much every day. This still seems very complicated to me. I am still trying to figure out when is best to feed him the solids and still get the amount of liquid intake. I don't know why this is so tricky for me. (still no cereal, he hates it and just spits it all out ..every bite, Even if I mix something that he likes in it)
- The MT that was holding his bottle pretty much all the time a few months ago, has decided that I should hold all his bottles. Unless he wants to use it as a chew toy
- We have days were I can just lay him down for a nap and he will just close his eyes and go to sleep. Then I have days that require alot of tears before sleeping is involved. Since MT was little, we would place a blanket over him while holding him. Like one may do if they are breastfeeding. Well, this is something that he has grown accustom to. He sleeps with a blanket covering his head. In fact, If i want him to take a nap , I have to place a blanket over his head and most days, he instantly closes his eyes. (please - no stories and don't judge me and yes I understand) I do get lots of disapproving looks and comments but Sleep is needed and sleep we will get.
- He has quite the temper. He will let you know about it. Loudly. I am actually worried about this trait as he gets older. I will mostly deal with this situation when we are able to understand each other.
- He is pretty demanding. Maybe all babies are. He hates tummy time still. I can maybe muster up 5 mins here and there but only If I am (or someone else) is down on the floor with him. If not you will get to see his temper in all it's glory. If he decides he just wants to be held, Nothing else will do. Until You can distract him with something else. Am I learning him or Is he learning me ... ?!? Then, we have days like today where he never cried at all, except refusing to go to sleep tonight.
- He is reaching for people when/if he wants to be held and held by a particular person.He started doing this a few weeks ago
- I beleive he is getting his top tooth already. He already has 2 bottom ones, but it looks like the top tooth is busting through. He is drooling like a flowing fountain
- His hair is a weird two tone color. It has seemed to lighten up on top. Sometimes is looks blonde, other times it looks reddish still. The back is still like a reddish brown ... Weird. But it is hair and we will take it. His long beautiful eyelashes are red though ... So who knows what will happen
- He knows when to ham it up already. He loves to coo and jabber when being the center of attention. And he actually seems to know when he is the center of attention ...It's bizarre.
- He has started getting spooked by strangers. Which i still do not understand why strangers try to get up in babies spaces ... But he has freaked out on a few ... Hope they learned their lesson ;)
- He loves pirate voices, Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh Matey.
- It seems like things are easier now. It seems that most days go by smoothly and more things get accomplished. Controlled chaos comes to mind.
I am sure I forgot things that I meant to document. *i may come back and add to the list just for longevity. Life here is good .. regardless of all the frustrating anxiety driven posts. We are enjoying life more than ever. My MIL came over today with her youngest kids and we went to a winter festival. It was actually one of the better visits we have ever had. It was only for a day and they left after we were all done. I consider that a win/win.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Just Words
I left work Tuesday and I was just relieved … It was a rough day. Not for reasons that you would think.
My well meaning co-workers, who I assume, were just trying to make small talk offered their unsolicited opinions about my decision to ask for a p/t work load temporarily.
I decided earlier that day that I was going to be candid with those that asked. I did this in hopes to escape the nasty rumor mill we have a work. (which is incredibly awful at my job) I explained that I asked our boss for a p/t schedule as long she could extend the opportunity to me. I explained that I knew that in the past p/t has not been an opportunity and I understand if p/t was still not an option, but I figured it would not hurt anything to ask. If I am allowed to go to p/t, it will not negatively affect any of my co-workers current assignments what so ever. It will allow my family to determine our financial needs in a real and practical sense. The Paper attempt only goes so far .. if ya know what I mean .. Real life never looks like the paper addition.
I listened to their take on the situation. I tried not to get emotional. I did pretty well taking jabs about my hormone levels being heightened, listening to statements that I made about myself pre-baby, choices as a parent that I have adjusted to and accept, and the state of the economy. Most things that E and I have discussed at length. Then there was the comparison of how opposed to bf-ing I was and how I have managed to adjust to that just fine if not better ….. I should give daycare the same chance as I gave bf-ing. I was told that it’s of the same mindset and those beginning feelings of uncertainty go away over time if that muscle is exercised. I was explained that the feeling of guilt goes away and that children benefit from daycare. And I can try to understand that as much as I can understand. I have to say though; I was slightly offended by the statement because It was such an in your face statement. It was meant to sting a little. It was said in a manner that led me to beleive that it was more of an attack towards me. Phrased in a way that stated, We did you, You can to if you stop being a big wimp about it. That is how I felt about it .. I could be wrong though. I know that I have changed my views leaps and bounds over the past few months. It seems that every day, I continue to write about how I am haunted by many of my past hurts and statements. Well, they just keep coming and coming. I am faced with these over and over again … Consequences of my own actions, I know that … I am not/was not prepared for this part of motherhood in the least bit. I lasted as long as I could and then I just started crying. I tried to explain that the daycare issue was not just that I think MT is too little for daycare. (which i need to clarify as being too young - because i keep getting told that he is not at all a little baby) I am unsure that his personality/needs would thrive in certain environments right now. (but that is another post) It also has to do with our finances. We are calculating working and paying for daycare. As anything in my life, the means have to justify the ends. Will my salary provide our family a better future? Is it all about the bucks? No, Is it all about daycare? No, It’s a complex.situation ..I feel like I am beating a dead horse on this blog topic really..but my heart/mind is plagued.
So, needless to say that after I left work, I was just exhausted. I mean I missed being at home with MT, but I don’t seem to have a problem leaving as long as I am fully confident in his Caretakers ability. I called E as soon as I got in the car. He just tends to makes things all better. He calmed some fear that was placed on me ( I allow this to happen to me over and over). Talked me down off the ladder of despair I was on. He just balances me.
On the drive home I thought about the past year. As 2008 comes to a close, I always try to relate a word with the year. This year the word seems to be Transition … I have gone from TTC for years, to Pregnant, to a mother. Talk about having to deal with a boat load of feelings/issues in a relatively small amount of time. I wanted so badly to be pregnant, and was undergoing treatment, but then Bam, One day everything changes. I was injecting med’s to assist folly growth, then Overnight, I became pregnant. No I am not complaining – Of course I was hoping to achieve pregnancy some day, But I did not allow myself to consider that eventually I would actually be pregnant. Then I had 10 months to adjust to pregnancy. But what I discovered in those 10 months is that most of that time is pressed to prepare for what comes after the pregnancy. So I felt like I was trying to adjust to pregnancy but being hurried to plan for motherhood .. I understand they are usually directly related …. But I didn’t directly relate them much. Then one morning I woke up and found out that I was going to deliver a baby. Then I delivered said baby and now I am here. In this place where I am now called a Mother ..It’s very daunting to try and sort through all of this in a very limited time frame. I am sure it is done with ease by many..but I guess I am just slow ..So, Here I am trying to sort through all of what has become …. Do you have a word that you will associate 2008 with?
My well meaning co-workers, who I assume, were just trying to make small talk offered their unsolicited opinions about my decision to ask for a p/t work load temporarily.
I decided earlier that day that I was going to be candid with those that asked. I did this in hopes to escape the nasty rumor mill we have a work. (which is incredibly awful at my job) I explained that I asked our boss for a p/t schedule as long she could extend the opportunity to me. I explained that I knew that in the past p/t has not been an opportunity and I understand if p/t was still not an option, but I figured it would not hurt anything to ask. If I am allowed to go to p/t, it will not negatively affect any of my co-workers current assignments what so ever. It will allow my family to determine our financial needs in a real and practical sense. The Paper attempt only goes so far .. if ya know what I mean .. Real life never looks like the paper addition.
I listened to their take on the situation. I tried not to get emotional. I did pretty well taking jabs about my hormone levels being heightened, listening to statements that I made about myself pre-baby, choices as a parent that I have adjusted to and accept, and the state of the economy. Most things that E and I have discussed at length. Then there was the comparison of how opposed to bf-ing I was and how I have managed to adjust to that just fine if not better ….. I should give daycare the same chance as I gave bf-ing. I was told that it’s of the same mindset and those beginning feelings of uncertainty go away over time if that muscle is exercised. I was explained that the feeling of guilt goes away and that children benefit from daycare. And I can try to understand that as much as I can understand. I have to say though; I was slightly offended by the statement because It was such an in your face statement. It was meant to sting a little. It was said in a manner that led me to beleive that it was more of an attack towards me. Phrased in a way that stated, We did you, You can to if you stop being a big wimp about it. That is how I felt about it .. I could be wrong though. I know that I have changed my views leaps and bounds over the past few months. It seems that every day, I continue to write about how I am haunted by many of my past hurts and statements. Well, they just keep coming and coming. I am faced with these over and over again … Consequences of my own actions, I know that … I am not/was not prepared for this part of motherhood in the least bit. I lasted as long as I could and then I just started crying. I tried to explain that the daycare issue was not just that I think MT is too little for daycare. (which i need to clarify as being too young - because i keep getting told that he is not at all a little baby) I am unsure that his personality/needs would thrive in certain environments right now. (but that is another post) It also has to do with our finances. We are calculating working and paying for daycare. As anything in my life, the means have to justify the ends. Will my salary provide our family a better future? Is it all about the bucks? No, Is it all about daycare? No, It’s a complex.situation ..I feel like I am beating a dead horse on this blog topic really..but my heart/mind is plagued.
So, needless to say that after I left work, I was just exhausted. I mean I missed being at home with MT, but I don’t seem to have a problem leaving as long as I am fully confident in his Caretakers ability. I called E as soon as I got in the car. He just tends to makes things all better. He calmed some fear that was placed on me ( I allow this to happen to me over and over). Talked me down off the ladder of despair I was on. He just balances me.
On the drive home I thought about the past year. As 2008 comes to a close, I always try to relate a word with the year. This year the word seems to be Transition … I have gone from TTC for years, to Pregnant, to a mother. Talk about having to deal with a boat load of feelings/issues in a relatively small amount of time. I wanted so badly to be pregnant, and was undergoing treatment, but then Bam, One day everything changes. I was injecting med’s to assist folly growth, then Overnight, I became pregnant. No I am not complaining – Of course I was hoping to achieve pregnancy some day, But I did not allow myself to consider that eventually I would actually be pregnant. Then I had 10 months to adjust to pregnancy. But what I discovered in those 10 months is that most of that time is pressed to prepare for what comes after the pregnancy. So I felt like I was trying to adjust to pregnancy but being hurried to plan for motherhood .. I understand they are usually directly related …. But I didn’t directly relate them much. Then one morning I woke up and found out that I was going to deliver a baby. Then I delivered said baby and now I am here. In this place where I am now called a Mother ..It’s very daunting to try and sort through all of this in a very limited time frame. I am sure it is done with ease by many..but I guess I am just slow ..So, Here I am trying to sort through all of what has become …. Do you have a word that you will associate 2008 with?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
All this
inspired by a question from another blogger :
"And so this is a very personal question but I wonder how faith has informed your journey -- if it has."
This post was going to be a comment as a question asked from another blogger's post. Then I decided I should just share it on my blog because I have actually never really written about this touchy/taboo/forbidden topic
I was raised Me.tho.dist with a ba.ptist mother and a met.hodist father who met at a metho.dist college.
Somewhere between the age of 4-6 as a child growing up going to sunday school, I asked my mother if the nursery rhyme about Mary having a little lamb was about Jesus because of stories I was told at sunday school and the experience of going to a public elementary school where religion was not discussed.
In Junior High, church was more about my socialization than anything. There were people there that I liked hanging out with and my parents didn't ever mind taking me to any church event. So, It was a win win situation.. Middle School Years were very hard for me. It was such an awkward stage of growing up .. and the friends I met at church made it easier to deal with every day life ... It's actually amazing that Most of my friends from Middle School Years still keep in touch one way or another
In High School, I began questioning some of the teachings and lessons learned at our youth church. I was not a complete rebellion, but I did tend to ask alot of questions. I just won't take the "because it says so, or I said so" or Everyone has to believe it route. I investigated on my own. I needed to understand the beliefs before I could believe in them .. And not simply believe because everyone else did. I guess I would be what is considered a skeptic? I was not out right defiant about it. This personality trait did not make me well liked among the leaders but that also was ok with me because I was not creating their Faith and Values, I was creating mine.
In College, I went to many many different organizations and groups just to see what was out there. I ended up finding a group that I spent a few yrs going to. They are funded by the Asse.mbly of Go.d demon.ination. (something I was not familiar with) But the People were really nice and open and I enjoyed their meetings. I actually met E there. (Which is also so strange because E was raised in a Ca.tholic home - even attending Cath.olic schools) . Again, I still did not believe in everything the organization believed in.
My views tend to be many different shades and not all about either black or white all the time.
E and I got married in my church from childhood. It was actually the biggest controversial thing in his family. His father refused to go to his only child's wedding because he didn't think E should marry for one ... another reason being I was not cath.olic. E's mother was married to E's father, but only because she got pregnant at 16 and both were catholic. I am not really sure of the whole reasoning but E says it has something to do with babies needing the spiritual atonement when they come down the birth canal ... E's parents were married for like 10 months, then they divorced. E's mother has since remarried many times but could never be married in the church's eyes again because she annulled her first marriage to E's father then Remarried and divorced him also .... Tangent .. sorry .. all this to say that E's mother was all worried that our marriage would not be legal in the eyes of god because it was not done a ta catholic church. We assured her that the State of Fl would recognize it.
After Marriage, we did alot of church hopping. Mostly because I have this inability to find what I am looking for I guess. I have certain standards/criteria that need to be met. I don't know why really ...
Then a few yrs of TTC did me in with my views and beliefs. I was no longer a believer of some of the same things I used to value. Basically, alot of my personal beliefs were being challenged and I hated it. So I stopped attending churches altogether. I felt like it was pretty pointless. I think it would be fair to say that there were ups and downs with my faith over the past 6+ yrs. But one thing that TTC did have me discover was eastern religions. Breathing, techniques, yoga, acupuncture, herbs, unconventional ways of thinking. Which I really have enjoyed learning about
I also believe me achieving pregnancy has had a positive impact on my values and beliefs and has allowed some healing in unconventional ways. I am not sure I would have been able to understand or get through different situations in the past year w/o the experiences I lacked before strurglling through my TTC years. Eat, Pray, Love and The Shack played a huge part in these healings also. These books (and a few others along with all of your blogs) have allowed me to examine myself and encourage me in so many ways. I have been encouraged to be myself and enjoy the present. I am inspired to learn and understand my surroundings and my beliefs much more than ever before.
"And so this is a very personal question but I wonder how faith has informed your journey -- if it has."
This post was going to be a comment as a question asked from another blogger's post. Then I decided I should just share it on my blog because I have actually never really written about this touchy/taboo/forbidden topic
I was raised Me.tho.dist with a ba.ptist mother and a met.hodist father who met at a metho.dist college.
Somewhere between the age of 4-6 as a child growing up going to sunday school, I asked my mother if the nursery rhyme about Mary having a little lamb was about Jesus because of stories I was told at sunday school and the experience of going to a public elementary school where religion was not discussed.
In Junior High, church was more about my socialization than anything. There were people there that I liked hanging out with and my parents didn't ever mind taking me to any church event. So, It was a win win situation.. Middle School Years were very hard for me. It was such an awkward stage of growing up .. and the friends I met at church made it easier to deal with every day life ... It's actually amazing that Most of my friends from Middle School Years still keep in touch one way or another
In High School, I began questioning some of the teachings and lessons learned at our youth church. I was not a complete rebellion, but I did tend to ask alot of questions. I just won't take the "because it says so, or I said so" or Everyone has to believe it route. I investigated on my own. I needed to understand the beliefs before I could believe in them .. And not simply believe because everyone else did. I guess I would be what is considered a skeptic? I was not out right defiant about it. This personality trait did not make me well liked among the leaders but that also was ok with me because I was not creating their Faith and Values, I was creating mine.
In College, I went to many many different organizations and groups just to see what was out there. I ended up finding a group that I spent a few yrs going to. They are funded by the Asse.mbly of Go.d demon.ination. (something I was not familiar with) But the People were really nice and open and I enjoyed their meetings. I actually met E there. (Which is also so strange because E was raised in a Ca.tholic home - even attending Cath.olic schools) . Again, I still did not believe in everything the organization believed in.
My views tend to be many different shades and not all about either black or white all the time.
E and I got married in my church from childhood. It was actually the biggest controversial thing in his family. His father refused to go to his only child's wedding because he didn't think E should marry for one ... another reason being I was not cath.olic. E's mother was married to E's father, but only because she got pregnant at 16 and both were catholic. I am not really sure of the whole reasoning but E says it has something to do with babies needing the spiritual atonement when they come down the birth canal ... E's parents were married for like 10 months, then they divorced. E's mother has since remarried many times but could never be married in the church's eyes again because she annulled her first marriage to E's father then Remarried and divorced him also .... Tangent .. sorry .. all this to say that E's mother was all worried that our marriage would not be legal in the eyes of god because it was not done a ta catholic church. We assured her that the State of Fl would recognize it.
After Marriage, we did alot of church hopping. Mostly because I have this inability to find what I am looking for I guess. I have certain standards/criteria that need to be met. I don't know why really ...
Then a few yrs of TTC did me in with my views and beliefs. I was no longer a believer of some of the same things I used to value. Basically, alot of my personal beliefs were being challenged and I hated it. So I stopped attending churches altogether. I felt like it was pretty pointless. I think it would be fair to say that there were ups and downs with my faith over the past 6+ yrs. But one thing that TTC did have me discover was eastern religions. Breathing, techniques, yoga, acupuncture, herbs, unconventional ways of thinking. Which I really have enjoyed learning about
I also believe me achieving pregnancy has had a positive impact on my values and beliefs and has allowed some healing in unconventional ways. I am not sure I would have been able to understand or get through different situations in the past year w/o the experiences I lacked before strurglling through my TTC years. Eat, Pray, Love and The Shack played a huge part in these healings also. These books (and a few others along with all of your blogs) have allowed me to examine myself and encourage me in so many ways. I have been encouraged to be myself and enjoy the present. I am inspired to learn and understand my surroundings and my beliefs much more than ever before.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wait and See
My first day of work was more successful than I imagined. I could not have dreamt up a better first day back actually ..
I got up, showered, pumped and left for work ..... Had a talk with my boss about MT's upcoming surgery, no daycare, and wanting to work part time on the days that E has off ... She was receptive and open. I have the go ahead to work p/t on E's days off until the end of the year. This will get us to the other side of MT's surgery and on the track to finish getting him vaccinated. She is going to talk with her boss about seeing how far into next year I can work part time (i am hoping for March- dreaming for June). All of this will buy me more time to see if working is going to be good for us and if so, allowing me to find the right care for MT ....
Really, In my mind, It doesn't get any better than that .. She didn't say no, she was receptive and understanding ... She is giving me an opportunity that I am very grateful for ... I could not ask for more .... We will see how this pans out. I am cautiously hopeful ...
Work itself was slow and boring ... Reading new policies, checking voice mail and email ... Getting re-acquainted with all the office staff and equipment..... It really wasn't bad. I attribute that to knowing that MT was under E's care and I was not at all worried about either of them. I drove home thinking that the drove was too long. I went into work much later than I would have liked to .. I tried to wait for MT to wake up and now we know that I just need to pump in the mornings and leave instead of waiting around... I want to get home before 6:45 like I did tonight ... I walked into the "witching hour", MT just wanting to nurse and nurse and nurse .. Me, trying to cook dinner and get him a bath ... So we know that I definately need to get to work much earlier in order to not come home into all that again ..... Here's to hoping I make it in much earlier tomorrow .... The problem with that is I am not sleepy yet ans the alarm will go off WAY too early .. I have been a bit spoiled .....
On a different note:
MT went to see Santa Last week .... He did well .. the picture isn't the best, but Here it is .. His First Santa ..
He had just woken up from a nap so he has the sleepy face, but It's better than screaming.
Well, I better get to bed, work comes early ... Oh one bad thing about going back to work .... They blocked Google Reader and Gmail ... What will I ever do? It's like they except me to work or something.
I got up, showered, pumped and left for work ..... Had a talk with my boss about MT's upcoming surgery, no daycare, and wanting to work part time on the days that E has off ... She was receptive and open. I have the go ahead to work p/t on E's days off until the end of the year. This will get us to the other side of MT's surgery and on the track to finish getting him vaccinated. She is going to talk with her boss about seeing how far into next year I can work part time (i am hoping for March- dreaming for June). All of this will buy me more time to see if working is going to be good for us and if so, allowing me to find the right care for MT ....
Really, In my mind, It doesn't get any better than that .. She didn't say no, she was receptive and understanding ... She is giving me an opportunity that I am very grateful for ... I could not ask for more .... We will see how this pans out. I am cautiously hopeful ...
Work itself was slow and boring ... Reading new policies, checking voice mail and email ... Getting re-acquainted with all the office staff and equipment..... It really wasn't bad. I attribute that to knowing that MT was under E's care and I was not at all worried about either of them. I drove home thinking that the drove was too long. I went into work much later than I would have liked to .. I tried to wait for MT to wake up and now we know that I just need to pump in the mornings and leave instead of waiting around... I want to get home before 6:45 like I did tonight ... I walked into the "witching hour", MT just wanting to nurse and nurse and nurse .. Me, trying to cook dinner and get him a bath ... So we know that I definately need to get to work much earlier in order to not come home into all that again ..... Here's to hoping I make it in much earlier tomorrow .... The problem with that is I am not sleepy yet ans the alarm will go off WAY too early .. I have been a bit spoiled .....
On a different note:
MT went to see Santa Last week .... He did well .. the picture isn't the best, but Here it is .. His First Santa ..
He had just woken up from a nap so he has the sleepy face, but It's better than screaming.
Well, I better get to bed, work comes early ... Oh one bad thing about going back to work .... They blocked Google Reader and Gmail ... What will I ever do? It's like they except me to work or something.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Show and Tell #4 Young Love
We had just started dating. I love him more now than I thought was possible. I only hope to say that in another 9 yrs.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Some things are only learned from the depths
*If you are not pregnant and still in the throes of IF, you may want to skip this post for another day. I do think it's worth the read ..but just wait until you are in a better place ... Because If i was to have read this post a year go, I might have wanted to throw a finger up at the computer screen or just roll my eyes ... and i completely understand
You know by now, I am not very poetic. I am not extremely puny, witty or a literary genius. I wish .. I read so many post and I am just desperate to have an ounce of the creativity you guys have .... What I do have is the ability to over share and be quite blunt.
I keep hearing about this recession we are having and how the economy is in a bad way and all these things. People losing houses, jobs, etc... And here I am .... Having to care for the baby we always wanted in this sinking economy. I keep hearing myself think things like "It's the best of times, It's the worst of times ...." from that book ... Because for me, It is the best of times in what may look like heading towards the worst of times. We have made it 5 months+ ..which means I will soon have a 6 month old. Which means my Maternity leave is almost up (and we have managed to stay on course with our measely budget and salary) ... I swear time has flown by. Some days have felt like they were 40 hours, but other days I blinked and it was over too quick. I am writing this post as a brain dump as I approach the emd of my maternity leave. I am supposed to go back to work Monday ... As in 4 days.
I have talked about the evolution of me before ... And I have mentioned in many past posts about how all I seem to do these days are eat my words, evolve, feed, nap, change diapers, and try harder next time. ... I feel like these past 6 months have only been more changes and evolutions of more of me's in ways that I never had imagined possible.
You know that annoying commercial that says having a baby changes everything? I hated that commercial .. It's so trite. But now, I think, that commercial is sooooo misunderstood and so lacking. I mean, I knew before hand that having a baby changes everything. That part isn't rocket science. I appreciate the attempt of what the commercial is trying to portray. But, Honestly, I do not think that there is any other way to learn about these changes that the commercial is referring to except by having to live through them. There are SO many things that I was not considering at all. (and let it be known that I so do not think a commercial(or anything) could even begun to explain any of the amount of change that has happened to me in the past 6 months.) I don't want to bore anyone with the details today ... But I will say that about 1% of my maternity leave has gone the way I thought it would. This is not a bad thing. It just goes to show me that I have done totally different things than I had imagined I would be doing. It also shows me that I am learning, evolving, experiencing and opening up my options more. I am branching out. Trying new things, finding my niche per say. Which is another part of what Infertility and blogging has allowed me to do with myself. And it's be so much fun .. then there are times of not so much fun ..
I have read on so many blogs this week from my pregnant comrades about the economy, daycare, jobs, diapers, formula, all this amount of baby loot, having to make huge decisions and having to make them RIGHT NOW .... and I just want to encourage you .. You can do this ... Whatever your "this" is .. You can and will make it.. You will find ways to pull ideas together and make "it" happen. Yes raising a baby is expensive, Yes you will need some things ... but honestly you will start to realize that Things are just things ....... marketing and people try to think you NEED THEM OR ELSE ... It's so overwhelming and so not right to have to make so many decisions with 109,880 Million hormones running through your system .... It's Tough for you ... trust me... I know it is ... I understand your burdens. I understand your number crunching, I understand your inability to get a budget to balance .. I understand you inablitlity to see where the money will come and where the savings with happen. I was amazed at the money we had but did not need to spend while on maternity leave. I encourage you to know that, It Will work... Because, It just does...And because, you have choices ... Choices that you do not even know about yet.
I say all of this because when I went out on Maternity Leave ... I had it all nicely planned out .. Daycare, Return date, budget, Work Schedule ..... and Here we are 4 days left and I have nary remnants of what I had decided and planned out back then. I wish I could say that all things are squared away just like we planned ... but Like my life tends to be ... I have gone and made it a little more "exciting" or complicated or messy. You choose the wording. The situation: ... I received a call stating that I had until a certain day to pay for our daycare spot. I didn't do it. I couldn't do it. It didn't feel right. You know the daycare I picked out in February. ... I put my unborn childs name on the waiting list ... that daycare. A week ago ... Hell, It's been over a month now that I have cried over "what to do". I have cried over the decisions, I prayed, I talked it out w/E, I have lost loads of sleep, caused anxiety .. You name it. And Still, I do not have a concrete decision made. The circumstances and limitations of using that daycare facility would not enabled me to be the parent I have become over the past almost 6 months. The parent that I want to continue to be. The parent that the pre-baby me did not think was an option. There are unthinkable options, things change, Ideas develop, Situations arise, Life Changes, Priorities change, The future holds change ... Things can be done differently. It may not look like a US Sitcom, but it can be done. I have some idea of what I would like to happen next week ... But most importantly, I know what I am willing to do for my family Now and it looks and sounds VERY different than what I thought would be the right choice for our family months ago. I know understand so many things that I just could not understand when I was seeking treatment and prior. It's all about sacrifices and what you want to do in life. That is not the same for everyone. It doesn't have to be, We are allowed choices.
I could use your good thoughts and prayers if you wish .... This may scare some of you who are in the decision process now but I am hoping not.. I hope it allows you to take some pressure off yourself. Relax and enjoy where you are, and think unconventionally. We all know we are survivors ... We will do whatever it takes to get a job done .. Even if it means unconventional means ... It is ok to think outside the box ..It is ok to not do it the way you thought it would be done ... It;s ok to be yourself and not do things hte way everyone thinks it needs to be done. Have faith in yourselves .. We have a huge community of support ...
So there it is . ... It's out there .. and I will not fear what is next ..I am just trusting and living .. ... It will be what it will be. This is a new type of living for me. If anyone knows me, knows that this is 100% NOT the old me.. The old me planned EVERYTHING. I do not go outside the box. I do thinkgs the way the major do it. I am not a real risk taker.... I have back up plans for my backup plans .... But like the trite commercial says, Having a baby changes everything ....
You know by now, I am not very poetic. I am not extremely puny, witty or a literary genius. I wish .. I read so many post and I am just desperate to have an ounce of the creativity you guys have .... What I do have is the ability to over share and be quite blunt.
I keep hearing about this recession we are having and how the economy is in a bad way and all these things. People losing houses, jobs, etc... And here I am .... Having to care for the baby we always wanted in this sinking economy. I keep hearing myself think things like "It's the best of times, It's the worst of times ...." from that book ... Because for me, It is the best of times in what may look like heading towards the worst of times. We have made it 5 months+ ..which means I will soon have a 6 month old. Which means my Maternity leave is almost up (and we have managed to stay on course with our measely budget and salary) ... I swear time has flown by. Some days have felt like they were 40 hours, but other days I blinked and it was over too quick. I am writing this post as a brain dump as I approach the emd of my maternity leave. I am supposed to go back to work Monday ... As in 4 days.
I have talked about the evolution of me before ... And I have mentioned in many past posts about how all I seem to do these days are eat my words, evolve, feed, nap, change diapers, and try harder next time. ... I feel like these past 6 months have only been more changes and evolutions of more of me's in ways that I never had imagined possible.
You know that annoying commercial that says having a baby changes everything? I hated that commercial .. It's so trite. But now, I think, that commercial is sooooo misunderstood and so lacking. I mean, I knew before hand that having a baby changes everything. That part isn't rocket science. I appreciate the attempt of what the commercial is trying to portray. But, Honestly, I do not think that there is any other way to learn about these changes that the commercial is referring to except by having to live through them. There are SO many things that I was not considering at all. (and let it be known that I so do not think a commercial(or anything) could even begun to explain any of the amount of change that has happened to me in the past 6 months.) I don't want to bore anyone with the details today ... But I will say that about 1% of my maternity leave has gone the way I thought it would. This is not a bad thing. It just goes to show me that I have done totally different things than I had imagined I would be doing. It also shows me that I am learning, evolving, experiencing and opening up my options more. I am branching out. Trying new things, finding my niche per say. Which is another part of what Infertility and blogging has allowed me to do with myself. And it's be so much fun .. then there are times of not so much fun ..
I have read on so many blogs this week from my pregnant comrades about the economy, daycare, jobs, diapers, formula, all this amount of baby loot, having to make huge decisions and having to make them RIGHT NOW .... and I just want to encourage you .. You can do this ... Whatever your "this" is .. You can and will make it.. You will find ways to pull ideas together and make "it" happen. Yes raising a baby is expensive, Yes you will need some things ... but honestly you will start to realize that Things are just things ....... marketing and people try to think you NEED THEM OR ELSE ... It's so overwhelming and so not right to have to make so many decisions with 109,880 Million hormones running through your system .... It's Tough for you ... trust me... I know it is ... I understand your burdens. I understand your number crunching, I understand your inability to get a budget to balance .. I understand you inablitlity to see where the money will come and where the savings with happen. I was amazed at the money we had but did not need to spend while on maternity leave. I encourage you to know that, It Will work... Because, It just does...And because, you have choices ... Choices that you do not even know about yet.
I say all of this because when I went out on Maternity Leave ... I had it all nicely planned out .. Daycare, Return date, budget, Work Schedule ..... and Here we are 4 days left and I have nary remnants of what I had decided and planned out back then. I wish I could say that all things are squared away just like we planned ... but Like my life tends to be ... I have gone and made it a little more "exciting" or complicated or messy. You choose the wording. The situation: ... I received a call stating that I had until a certain day to pay for our daycare spot. I didn't do it. I couldn't do it. It didn't feel right. You know the daycare I picked out in February. ... I put my unborn childs name on the waiting list ... that daycare. A week ago ... Hell, It's been over a month now that I have cried over "what to do". I have cried over the decisions, I prayed, I talked it out w/E, I have lost loads of sleep, caused anxiety .. You name it. And Still, I do not have a concrete decision made. The circumstances and limitations of using that daycare facility would not enabled me to be the parent I have become over the past almost 6 months. The parent that I want to continue to be. The parent that the pre-baby me did not think was an option. There are unthinkable options, things change, Ideas develop, Situations arise, Life Changes, Priorities change, The future holds change ... Things can be done differently. It may not look like a US Sitcom, but it can be done. I have some idea of what I would like to happen next week ... But most importantly, I know what I am willing to do for my family Now and it looks and sounds VERY different than what I thought would be the right choice for our family months ago. I know understand so many things that I just could not understand when I was seeking treatment and prior. It's all about sacrifices and what you want to do in life. That is not the same for everyone. It doesn't have to be, We are allowed choices.
I could use your good thoughts and prayers if you wish .... This may scare some of you who are in the decision process now but I am hoping not.. I hope it allows you to take some pressure off yourself. Relax and enjoy where you are, and think unconventionally. We all know we are survivors ... We will do whatever it takes to get a job done .. Even if it means unconventional means ... It is ok to think outside the box ..It is ok to not do it the way you thought it would be done ... It;s ok to be yourself and not do things hte way everyone thinks it needs to be done. Have faith in yourselves .. We have a huge community of support ...
So there it is . ... It's out there .. and I will not fear what is next ..I am just trusting and living .. ... It will be what it will be. This is a new type of living for me. If anyone knows me, knows that this is 100% NOT the old me.. The old me planned EVERYTHING. I do not go outside the box. I do thinkgs the way the major do it. I am not a real risk taker.... I have back up plans for my backup plans .... But like the trite commercial says, Having a baby changes everything ....
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thanks Giving
Gobble Gobble
My husband gave alil more than I would have liked him to. Remember me complaining that He had been sick for like a month now .... Well, He finally shared his germs my way.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving .. MT and I got up early and drove to my parents house in time to see the parade. I wasn't feeling that great but figured it was due to lack of sleep. Around lunch time, I began feeling pretty achy. I was trying to tough it out since E was at work and my parents were making food and hostessing. Time to eat ..I thought I would feel better after I ate .... but it only got worse. Around 5pm, I decided that I should take my tempt because I noticed I was shaking. It was 101.5 I asked my mom to watch MT and I went and took a nap on the couch. By 7pm, I was just feeling awful. Everything hurt ..my eyelids ached. E got off work and came over to my parents for dinner. Only to find me in miserable shape. After he ate dinner and watched a movie, We loaded up the car and drove home. We left his car there, I didn't think I was in any shape to drive. Around midnight, All hell broke lose. I could no longer keep anything down. I lost my lunch over and over and over again ..... if you catch my drift. It was uncontrollable and unstoppable. This continued into the morning. I called my dr and they got me right in. Temp was still 101.5 and climbing.... She insisted that I had food poisoning. I told her no one else had any problems with dinner, just me. Then she did a pregnancy test ... If I would have been feeling better, I would have really laughed about the whole urine pee test ... but whateve ..... She said that it looks like I have a bladder infection because of my pee being so dark. I told her that was probably dehydration .... She agreed and took back the rx for the antibiotics. .... She was closing and instructed me that if I vomited anymore and could not keep fluids down, I needed to go to the ER...... *not much help - things I already knew. Well, I wasn't even able to get out of her office without throwing up. But I went home and tried to sleep it off .... but there was no chance of that, My stomach had other plans .... SO basically after putting it off .. I called my mother to meet us at the ER so she could watch MT while we waiting in the ER ..... Believe it or not Black Friday is a slow day for the ER ..We were in an out in under 2 hours. I was given 2 bags of IV and 2 rounds of zof.ran (my savior drug). They sent me home with ph.ene.rgan rx. I took that for 2 days and I feel like an almost whole person again. I still have a headache, I think I am alil dehydrated still ..I am working on that though ....
Somewhere in all of this, My parents (that god they live close) kept MT over night. Friday night when My mom picked him up at the ER, I was talked into just letting him stay with him. It was the best for everyone. I Thank God that they are able to do that for us ..because I was in a bad way for a while. Bad news is that this is the way my husband started out sick 1 month ago .... I cannot be sick for 1 month .. I do not have the patience for that.
Also - Did I mention that My MIL was supposed to come over Saturday but E called her and told her not to because of me not feeling well and were on our way to the ER. She repeatedly went on and on about how that was NOT convenient to her schedule (me being sick). She wants to see her grandson and she has off that day .... and hasn't seen him in months...... . blah blah blah ..... (no one has stopped her from seeing MT - she has just pre-occupied with other issues ... and now that issue is back in jail, she is bored and lonely) E had to remind her that we were on our way to the ER and that he had to go ... this woman is so obnoxiously selfish ......
But onto brighter endings .. MT is now able to sit up in his own.
(this is him Skyping with his Auntie M for thanksgiving)
A cool stool a friend of mine gave him .. We pull up the bumbo seat and use it like a table so far - notice the droool ...Yes we are still teething
Two Teeth
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Not a time to piss off Consumers
I know that this is the season for thankfulness but Right now I am so Mad at Target and their Big Bully Attempts ..I hate that Big Companies like Target can Bulldoze people .... In response to their big giant screw up over the Bri,tax car seats .. They must have sent everyone$25 egiftcards. This is part of a response I received:
"By redeeming this e-GiftCard, you acknowledge full satisfaction and release of any claims against Target relating to this pricing error.
As a valued guest, your business is very important to us. It’s our hope to be given the opportunity to serve you again as a Target.com guest."
I am freaking LIVID. I was not this mad when I found out that my order was canceled due to their incompetence and that they would not fulfill my order. But NOW, I feel like they are just being low balling A holes about it ... I am conflicted ....The $25 does not make it all better .... So by using the ecard I would be lying either way. It cannot make me fully satisfied .... In Fact, It adds insult to injury really ... Seriously Target Sucks In a Big way.... I already disliked their return policy to begin with .. now this .... Target should learn to treat their consumers with more respect than that
"By redeeming this e-GiftCard, you acknowledge full satisfaction and release of any claims against Target relating to this pricing error.
As a valued guest, your business is very important to us. It’s our hope to be given the opportunity to serve you again as a Target.com guest."
I am freaking LIVID. I was not this mad when I found out that my order was canceled due to their incompetence and that they would not fulfill my order. But NOW, I feel like they are just being low balling A holes about it ... I am conflicted ....The $25 does not make it all better .... So by using the ecard I would be lying either way. It cannot make me fully satisfied .... In Fact, It adds insult to injury really ... Seriously Target Sucks In a Big way.... I already disliked their return policy to begin with .. now this .... Target should learn to treat their consumers with more respect than that
Giving Thanks ... Yum
I made our own Babyfood. It's the easiest thing ever. I went to the fresh market and bought 1 lb of green beans, a sweet potato, figi apples and bananas. I went to my parents house (because they have a chopper I wanted to try) and put the sweet potato in the oven for 40mins-ish. Boiled/steamed the green beans and apples w/some cinnamon. I did use this website suggestion and I did store them in ice cube trays and put them in the freezer. All in all, took about 2 hours from start to finish and I have tons of food. I spent $5. Here is my estimations so if you try it at home, you won't have too much foods to process. Loosely Based on 1 ice cube slot = 1 oz. A banana = 8oz, Sweet potato (average size) and 1 oz of breast milk = 12 oz, 3 figi apples and a tablespoon of water = 8 oz, 1 lb of fresh green beans and 1 oz of breast milk = 12 oz
apples
green beans
sweet potatoes
alittle elf.....
My freezer is stocked. We gave MT 1 cube of green beans and 1 cube of banana today mixed together. He absolutely loved it. My dad let him taste the applesauce yesterday also... boy did he tear that up! This solid foods seems to be going .. BUT Good Gracious... THE poop. Solid poops are disgusting ..OH MY WORD. ...It's awful. .... Oh tangent ....
Giving Thanks. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. I think it is because our family and friends get together and spend the day eating, talking and just enjoying each other. Christmas tends to be so hectic and on the go and "presents" orientated. I never seem to enjoy - scratch that ..no one seems to enjoy the process of christmas like we do for thanksgiving.
Plus, for Years now,I have longed to be able to watch the parade with my child. Iknow that this year he may not "watch it" but in years to come, I hope that he will be just as excited about the parade as I am every year. This year, I have tons and tons to be thankful for. I want to stop and recognize It. I am thankful for this blog and the readers behind the blogs. Thank you for expanding my life. Blogging has allowed me to open myself up, feel like there are others out there that somehow understand me, relate to me and want to see me survive this rollercoaster ride of life. I am not a touchy person irl ..but by blogging it has allowed to me to explore myself and expand as a person. I am thankful for each and every one of you ...Commentors or Not... Thank you for this opportunity and friendship.
apples
green beans
sweet potatoes
alittle elf.....
My freezer is stocked. We gave MT 1 cube of green beans and 1 cube of banana today mixed together. He absolutely loved it. My dad let him taste the applesauce yesterday also... boy did he tear that up! This solid foods seems to be going .. BUT Good Gracious... THE poop. Solid poops are disgusting ..OH MY WORD. ...It's awful. .... Oh tangent ....
Giving Thanks. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. I think it is because our family and friends get together and spend the day eating, talking and just enjoying each other. Christmas tends to be so hectic and on the go and "presents" orientated. I never seem to enjoy - scratch that ..no one seems to enjoy the process of christmas like we do for thanksgiving.Plus, for Years now,I have longed to be able to watch the parade with my child. Iknow that this year he may not "watch it" but in years to come, I hope that he will be just as excited about the parade as I am every year. This year, I have tons and tons to be thankful for. I want to stop and recognize It. I am thankful for this blog and the readers behind the blogs. Thank you for expanding my life. Blogging has allowed me to open myself up, feel like there are others out there that somehow understand me, relate to me and want to see me survive this rollercoaster ride of life. I am not a touchy person irl ..but by blogging it has allowed to me to explore myself and expand as a person. I am thankful for each and every one of you ...Commentors or Not... Thank you for this opportunity and friendship.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
5.5
5 and 1/2 months has come and gone. MT is thriving. He is growing. He is unbelievable wonderful, healthy and happy. We have tried to add veggies to his daily food intake. So far, so good. We were doing sweet potatoes and now we have added Green Beans to the mix. He seems to love green beans more than the sweet potato, or he is happy for a new taste. (to those who have a food processor, I would like one for Christmas but I want one that is big enough but not huge and take up alot of space, any suggestions? I am still just making our own foods) I thought about the gadget that is all inclusive but decided against it because of it's limitations. I assume I will only have to puree the food for about 3 more months or less ..So i would like to have something that is not limited for myself..I think .... mini Cuisinart..do they work ..or there is an 11 cup one ...Help ... input please)
I am still not coordinated enough to leave the house before noon most days, but it can be done if need be and it is getting better. I require a shower before I can leave the house .. It's a understood rule of mine. I am still just trying to learn to get up and shower before MT wakes up. (wish I could take a shower at night but My hair just needs a shower in the morning and I just like my sleep alittle too much.)
Having MT has brought to the surface some (most) areas of my character/personality that are selfish .... and I am having to work through them. (see above about shower/sleep) This is another reason E and I sometimes have some fightin' words, ughmm I mean differences.
Friday night, E and I had a huge disagreement. Of course, It was over chores, duties, housework nonsense. Everyone seems to fight over this issue at least once in their lifetime. (be it with a roommate, parent, spouse, sign. other, child, etc.)
I mentioned (uhmmm in a yelling voice - just being honest) to E that I needed him to step it up a bit. Remember, I told you he was sick and it felt like an eternity that he was sick for.... Well, It was grating on my nerves. Yes .. You think, Have a lil compassion for the guy, Seriously ... and I should have. I had some, but it was running low and filling up with my selfishness. ..... I was tired, I was PMSing, I was doing double duty w/ providing care for both him and MT. I just got back from being gone a week with MT by myself. MT (well we all were) trying to adjust from vacation. MT had been fussy like something fierce this week. Basically, MT was replaced with the screaming banshee again ...( i know now it was because of teething) He now has another tooth bud popping up. I am now starting to recognize his signs for teething. The tooth is right next to the one that just popped up a few weeks ago. He was up/awake ... and fussy .... and drooling ..... and just plain miserable. Nothing consoled him, except holding him and loving on him. (sometimes bfing) Even that had it's moments. This is the first week (since he started sleeping through the night) that we have been unable to get him in the bed by no later than 8:30pm. Bed time for him this week has been around 11pm. and only then because of exhaustion from crying or being miserable, he finally just wore himself out .... So teething for us is ROUGH .... I know that not everyone has such a hard time with this teething thing, but MT sure seems to just absolutely not tolerate it at all.
Combine all of this and I have been squeezed and pressed until the selfishness just rises to the surface and leaks out all over .... and usually lands right smack dab in the middle of my husband's lap .... And once again .... this is what he dealt with Friday night. He is so gracious too .. He does not at all get hot about it. He just lets me finish my rant/vent session. He calmly deals with the situation, diffuses the bomb, per say .. and then just loves on me some.... It's really the opposite of what I would do if some lunatic was yelling and fighting with me .... but none the less, He just takes one for the team ... and I love him so much through his actions and reactions. It makes it extremely hard to be/stay mad at him. He truly doesn't have a mean spirited bone in his body .... He knows he needs to offer to help out more. He knows that he was requiring alittle too much of my sympathy and time. He and I know he is sorry. He tries very hard.... and I need to give him credit for that. This has been the first time that he has been sick since MT was born. I consider this a milestone.... We made it through. ... Yes there was yelling and fighting, but we are all still here and accounted for ... and Loved
I am still not coordinated enough to leave the house before noon most days, but it can be done if need be and it is getting better. I require a shower before I can leave the house .. It's a understood rule of mine. I am still just trying to learn to get up and shower before MT wakes up. (wish I could take a shower at night but My hair just needs a shower in the morning and I just like my sleep alittle too much.)
Having MT has brought to the surface some (most) areas of my character/personality that are selfish .... and I am having to work through them. (see above about shower/sleep) This is another reason E and I sometimes have some fightin' words, ughmm I mean differences.
Friday night, E and I had a huge disagreement. Of course, It was over chores, duties, housework nonsense. Everyone seems to fight over this issue at least once in their lifetime. (be it with a roommate, parent, spouse, sign. other, child, etc.)
I mentioned (uhmmm in a yelling voice - just being honest) to E that I needed him to step it up a bit. Remember, I told you he was sick and it felt like an eternity that he was sick for.... Well, It was grating on my nerves. Yes .. You think, Have a lil compassion for the guy, Seriously ... and I should have. I had some, but it was running low and filling up with my selfishness. ..... I was tired, I was PMSing, I was doing double duty w/ providing care for both him and MT. I just got back from being gone a week with MT by myself. MT (well we all were) trying to adjust from vacation. MT had been fussy like something fierce this week. Basically, MT was replaced with the screaming banshee again ...( i know now it was because of teething) He now has another tooth bud popping up. I am now starting to recognize his signs for teething. The tooth is right next to the one that just popped up a few weeks ago. He was up/awake ... and fussy .... and drooling ..... and just plain miserable. Nothing consoled him, except holding him and loving on him. (sometimes bfing) Even that had it's moments. This is the first week (since he started sleeping through the night) that we have been unable to get him in the bed by no later than 8:30pm. Bed time for him this week has been around 11pm. and only then because of exhaustion from crying or being miserable, he finally just wore himself out .... So teething for us is ROUGH .... I know that not everyone has such a hard time with this teething thing, but MT sure seems to just absolutely not tolerate it at all.
Combine all of this and I have been squeezed and pressed until the selfishness just rises to the surface and leaks out all over .... and usually lands right smack dab in the middle of my husband's lap .... And once again .... this is what he dealt with Friday night. He is so gracious too .. He does not at all get hot about it. He just lets me finish my rant/vent session. He calmly deals with the situation, diffuses the bomb, per say .. and then just loves on me some.... It's really the opposite of what I would do if some lunatic was yelling and fighting with me .... but none the less, He just takes one for the team ... and I love him so much through his actions and reactions. It makes it extremely hard to be/stay mad at him. He truly doesn't have a mean spirited bone in his body .... He knows he needs to offer to help out more. He knows that he was requiring alittle too much of my sympathy and time. He and I know he is sorry. He tries very hard.... and I need to give him credit for that. This has been the first time that he has been sick since MT was born. I consider this a milestone.... We made it through. ... Yes there was yelling and fighting, but we are all still here and accounted for ... and Loved
Friday, November 21, 2008
Not your usual post
Last Night I was flipping through the channels and had my interest peaked when this man (whom I think is a lil dreamy) was talking about how these afri.can cl.awed fr.ogs were shipped around the US and used to help determine if women were pregnant in the 30's and 40's. Seems to be, If you inject the female frog with urine sample from the woman, and the woman is pregnant, it will cause the frog to ovulate and release her eggs 8 to 12 hours after injected. Weird, Huh.. According to the show I was watching and this article , the frogs are all dying to a fungus that is showing up in their bodies of waters. Scientist's and other animal care takers are trying to slow down the process. The part I found interesting was that Jeff and other activist kept referring back to how frogs and humans have a direct relationship with medications, treatments and hormones. They kept speaking of the fertility issues and how frog/human hormones react the same. It was very interesting to me. Then, they went to some stream in Mi.ssouri to search for hel.lbende.rs. The biologist w/ Jeff went on record to say that the male population from this state tends to have a noticeably lower sperm count than the rest of the US. They also stated that the once thriving he.llbe.nder population also have decreased over the years due to their low sperm count as well.
Also there was a certain type of female frog that ended up dying because there was not a male frog available to provide her with sex to help her release all of her eggs. My husband pointed out that it is possible to die from lack of sex ..... I assured him, he was not a female frog and his body would not explode or suffocate because he had too many eggs on the inside crushing his organs .... Men
Is it all propaganda? ... I dunno. I was not on their research team, I am unsure how they conducted all their information, but do I believe the impacts of environment on our fertility systems .. Yes I do... What do you think?
Also there was a certain type of female frog that ended up dying because there was not a male frog available to provide her with sex to help her release all of her eggs. My husband pointed out that it is possible to die from lack of sex ..... I assured him, he was not a female frog and his body would not explode or suffocate because he had too many eggs on the inside crushing his organs .... Men
Is it all propaganda? ... I dunno. I was not on their research team, I am unsure how they conducted all their information, but do I believe the impacts of environment on our fertility systems .. Yes I do... What do you think?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Ob-La-Di
It's been over a week since I posted. I have been busy being busy. If that makes sense.
The Return of that pesky Aunt was .... pretty intense. I think that is what mostly led my feelings of being too overwhelmed,angry and upset to discuss the topic of family planning with my sister. (it was a few days before the Aunt showed herself) .. I am not sure if it was as pretty hard period or if I just forgot what they were like. Either way ... Not fun but it's over now and I am curious to see if/when it returns. I am wondering if the pcos is going to keep me guessing. I have a rx of met back. I have not taken it yet. I am still bfing and my dr made it pretty clear that I was not to take it while bf-ing because it has not been studied enough in her opinion... Any thoughts?
Solids- We have stopped and started solids more times than anyone I know. MT hates cereal. (and it locks him up) I am wondering if he is like me and has "texture" issues. I have texture issues. I hate Jello, pudding, oatmeal, custard, rice pudding, some types of lettuce, cream of wheat etc .. All because of texture issues. So after 3 weeks of no solids, I went back to trying cereal again .... again he hated it ..I decided to bake a sweet potato and mushed it up with breastmilk and fed him that. He loved it. So for 3 days we did sweet potatoes 2 times a day.. about 1 oz total a day.
2 Nights ago, MT woke up in the middle of the night screaming. This was his first time waking up in the middle of the night since he was 5 weeks old. I had no idea what to do. It was uncharacteristic. (please don't hate me for writing that) I patted his lil tummy and tried to get him to stop crying at first w/o picking him up. Well after about 3 mins of trying that method, It was obviously not working. I picked him up and he did not immediately stop crying, but the crying was not in high alert like it was before. I put him on my shoulder and just walked around bouncing him and he finally went back to sleep after 20/30 mins so I laid him back down. He slept pretty good the rest of the night.
Last night, I decided to try jarred carrots since he seemed to enjoy sweet potatoes. About 2 hours after he ate them, and had just got a bath, he threw them all up. All over ....I am not sure what happened there really. I checked to see if he had a fever .. no, fussy ..Yes, miserable ....Yes, flailing in pain..yes, arching his back ... yes, farting up a storm ....Yes... MT has a bout of gas. He has never had gas that caused him pain before So once again, I wasn't prepared. He is also teething pretty bad again.. Drool is flowing like a fountain again the past few days .... and everything goes straight into his mouth to be gnawed on. MT was up WAY past his bedtime last night, obviously .. He slept til 9 this morning. All seems fine now. He has ate his bottles, I did skip the lunch time solids .. Maybe he just is not ready for that yet..... Maybe it was a fluke thing and he caught the bug my husband had ...
E has been sick for what seems like a constant 2 weeks for me ... But in reality just has been about 8 days ... It started the day of my sister's weekend. He was so ill that he didn't actually attend most of my sisters wedding. Which left me passing MT off to family members while I completed my matron duties. (making sure marriage license got signed and in the car, packing her car with food for her travel, and packing stuff from her apartment that didn't get moved earlier because she actually returned to a different city after the honeymoon) ..It was a busy day. Then We returned home and E wasn't feeling great and always tired ..then managed to get the flu ..... So it was a constant taking care of 2 people .My patience's were running SO thin .. I was exhausted and dealing with AF.
But It's a new day, things are looking up ... and i have this to make my days much brighter:
The Return of that pesky Aunt was .... pretty intense. I think that is what mostly led my feelings of being too overwhelmed,angry and upset to discuss the topic of family planning with my sister. (it was a few days before the Aunt showed herself) .. I am not sure if it was as pretty hard period or if I just forgot what they were like. Either way ... Not fun but it's over now and I am curious to see if/when it returns. I am wondering if the pcos is going to keep me guessing. I have a rx of met back. I have not taken it yet. I am still bfing and my dr made it pretty clear that I was not to take it while bf-ing because it has not been studied enough in her opinion... Any thoughts?
Solids- We have stopped and started solids more times than anyone I know. MT hates cereal. (and it locks him up) I am wondering if he is like me and has "texture" issues. I have texture issues. I hate Jello, pudding, oatmeal, custard, rice pudding, some types of lettuce, cream of wheat etc .. All because of texture issues. So after 3 weeks of no solids, I went back to trying cereal again .... again he hated it ..I decided to bake a sweet potato and mushed it up with breastmilk and fed him that. He loved it. So for 3 days we did sweet potatoes 2 times a day.. about 1 oz total a day.
2 Nights ago, MT woke up in the middle of the night screaming. This was his first time waking up in the middle of the night since he was 5 weeks old. I had no idea what to do. It was uncharacteristic. (please don't hate me for writing that) I patted his lil tummy and tried to get him to stop crying at first w/o picking him up. Well after about 3 mins of trying that method, It was obviously not working. I picked him up and he did not immediately stop crying, but the crying was not in high alert like it was before. I put him on my shoulder and just walked around bouncing him and he finally went back to sleep after 20/30 mins so I laid him back down. He slept pretty good the rest of the night.
Last night, I decided to try jarred carrots since he seemed to enjoy sweet potatoes. About 2 hours after he ate them, and had just got a bath, he threw them all up. All over ....I am not sure what happened there really. I checked to see if he had a fever .. no, fussy ..Yes, miserable ....Yes, flailing in pain..yes, arching his back ... yes, farting up a storm ....Yes... MT has a bout of gas. He has never had gas that caused him pain before So once again, I wasn't prepared. He is also teething pretty bad again.. Drool is flowing like a fountain again the past few days .... and everything goes straight into his mouth to be gnawed on. MT was up WAY past his bedtime last night, obviously .. He slept til 9 this morning. All seems fine now. He has ate his bottles, I did skip the lunch time solids .. Maybe he just is not ready for that yet..... Maybe it was a fluke thing and he caught the bug my husband had ...
E has been sick for what seems like a constant 2 weeks for me ... But in reality just has been about 8 days ... It started the day of my sister's weekend. He was so ill that he didn't actually attend most of my sisters wedding. Which left me passing MT off to family members while I completed my matron duties. (making sure marriage license got signed and in the car, packing her car with food for her travel, and packing stuff from her apartment that didn't get moved earlier because she actually returned to a different city after the honeymoon) ..It was a busy day. Then We returned home and E wasn't feeling great and always tired ..then managed to get the flu ..... So it was a constant taking care of 2 people .My patience's were running SO thin .. I was exhausted and dealing with AF.
But It's a new day, things are looking up ... and i have this to make my days much brighter:
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Return
Thank you for the compliments about the wedding - We had a blast.
BUT now - back to reality ... UGHHhhhh..
Laundry is stacked to the ceiling ..... MT thinks he should be held all the time. (product of being on vacation and everyone passing him around like a football and providing him lots of entertainment)
But the worst part ... I am finally having my first "real" period. I say real because I have been having this period for longer than 1 day. The other periods were more like spotting for a few hours. Last week I thought I had a cyst. I had that weird pressure-y/pinchy feeling Like I remember cysts being. I have been complaining about backache for a few days now, yesterday it was really awful. Enough to warrant med's and sleep. I thought I had pulled a muscle. I went to the bathroom and discovered the return of the Aunt no one wants ... and Today..OH today .. Well, It is just like I remember .... UGH the bloating and pain ..I am off to take a hot shower.
Anyone have or ever use one of these?
BUT now - back to reality ... UGHHhhhh..
Laundry is stacked to the ceiling ..... MT thinks he should be held all the time. (product of being on vacation and everyone passing him around like a football and providing him lots of entertainment)
But the worst part ... I am finally having my first "real" period. I say real because I have been having this period for longer than 1 day. The other periods were more like spotting for a few hours. Last week I thought I had a cyst. I had that weird pressure-y/pinchy feeling Like I remember cysts being. I have been complaining about backache for a few days now, yesterday it was really awful. Enough to warrant med's and sleep. I thought I had pulled a muscle. I went to the bathroom and discovered the return of the Aunt no one wants ... and Today..OH today .. Well, It is just like I remember .... UGH the bloating and pain ..I am off to take a hot shower.
Anyone have or ever use one of these?
Monday, November 10, 2008
So Much to Say
Where do I begin ...... 120 post all marked as read .. I hated to do it but had to. I love google reader that allows you to just read all items. I skimmed and didn't comment much at all. Congrats to those that had babies while I was away. So very exciting.
Well, It's been a week since I really had full computer use. Last Sunday, MT and I drove to my sister's. He slept the entire trip. I left late hoping he would sleep the whole way. (5 hours) He was not aware that there was a time change so that gave me an extra hour of daylight to drive. *He still is not aware of the time change. He wants to go to bed about an hour before we want him to go to bed thus waking up earlier. We have been gradually stretching this out. Seems like today, we finally have it worked out.
My sister and I took care of all the final details and managed to get most everything done before E and My parents arrived Wednesday night. Thursday, My dad and I made food for the reception that my sister requested and managed to do it in record time. Everything just went really smooth. (of course there were some not so pleasant times, but we seems to work through them to give the whole weekend a peaceful feeling)
This weekend, "making babies" was a huge topic. You know, When you get married, You are supposed to automatically discuss this topic (insert sarcastic overtone).. .. Discuss Grand babies, Children, How many you want to have, when you are thinking about having them ...... etc.. "We aren't getting younger: .....I have decided that we totally rush things and spend mental/verbal/imaginary time in conversations/daydreams/thoughts and we totally should not. This is when I believe anxiety and mental anguish begins. And this is unfair to do to ourselves .... It's romanticised up .. I think it can be an an injustice to some. My sister is a very unique individual, This is going to be a HUGE change for her life. (marriage) I respect her for the way she has chosen to live her life.. I do... It is a life of Integrity. It is her life and not mine .. She is able to live it the way she wants to ... My sister and I had a REALLY good talk Tuesday night. I discovered some very deep, dark feeling on a topic that we had discussed before. Birth Control. My sister is terrified that she may have to have an experience with IF. She has her own views on BC. She has also stated that she is not ready to be a parent yet. *Since blogging, I have found an understanding for differences. Her views of this topic are somewhat different from mine and I try my very best to accept that. But, Let me tell you that it is MUCH easier to accept a difference of opinion from someone other than your younger sibling. ..sigh, I wish I were a better person, I wish I knew my feelings and emotions better so I could explain them more clearly.. After having a conversation about family planning (read: a yelling match until I figured out why I was yelling)... I realized how much emotional baggage I am still holding onto from my own IF journey. Yes, I said it... It still bothers me deeply. I have a baby and I still have not let go of all my hurt, anger and despair. I have now changed my thoughts on that subject now. Pre Baby Me - somehow didn't think about how I would cope/deal with alot of the baby topics. And it is not going as I expected. My sister even said that Since I had MT she assumed that all those negative hurtful feelings just disappear or go away .. I shared with her how deep those feelings go ... She was blown away that I was so candid and raw. Just a blubbering mess really ... I cried and cried and sobbed for what seemed like forever .. I actually cried myself to sleep. I have been running on adrenaline and exhaustion for quite some time that I just had never had time to think about these topics much. but faced with the discussions .. I crumpled .. I still have miles to go with digging up these feelings and dealing with them, but I hope one day I am truly able to embrace all pregnancies w/out envy or jealousy. I want to be able to genuinely be happy for whomever ... I do not want to feel the hair on the back of my neck draw up and my mind want to retreat and run or spit venom...
Ok on another note. I am reading this book ..I am just thoroughly enjoying this book. It is knocking my socks off .. I am in awe of this story .. A few more chapters and I will be done ..I may re-read it again
MT had his follow up appointment with the pediatric urologist today. Luckily, his minor ad.hes.ion's and a hydr.ocele have mostly corrected itself. The h.ydrocele did not turn out to be a her.nia and that part will not require surgery. The adhesion's ,on the other hand, have become very loose (which is partly a good thing - but partly a bad thing) but will require surgery. So, On Dec 22, MT will have the surgery to correct the issue. I am just nervous about this .... I just wish this didn't have to turn out this way for him ... He will never remember is what I am hoping
You know you just wanted to see pictures and I prolonged it:
Well, It's been a week since I really had full computer use. Last Sunday, MT and I drove to my sister's. He slept the entire trip. I left late hoping he would sleep the whole way. (5 hours) He was not aware that there was a time change so that gave me an extra hour of daylight to drive. *He still is not aware of the time change. He wants to go to bed about an hour before we want him to go to bed thus waking up earlier. We have been gradually stretching this out. Seems like today, we finally have it worked out.
My sister and I took care of all the final details and managed to get most everything done before E and My parents arrived Wednesday night. Thursday, My dad and I made food for the reception that my sister requested and managed to do it in record time. Everything just went really smooth. (of course there were some not so pleasant times, but we seems to work through them to give the whole weekend a peaceful feeling)
This weekend, "making babies" was a huge topic. You know, When you get married, You are supposed to automatically discuss this topic (insert sarcastic overtone).. .. Discuss Grand babies, Children, How many you want to have, when you are thinking about having them ...... etc.. "We aren't getting younger: .....I have decided that we totally rush things and spend mental/verbal/imaginary time in conversations/daydreams/thoughts and we totally should not. This is when I believe anxiety and mental anguish begins. And this is unfair to do to ourselves .... It's romanticised up .. I think it can be an an injustice to some. My sister is a very unique individual, This is going to be a HUGE change for her life. (marriage) I respect her for the way she has chosen to live her life.. I do... It is a life of Integrity. It is her life and not mine .. She is able to live it the way she wants to ... My sister and I had a REALLY good talk Tuesday night. I discovered some very deep, dark feeling on a topic that we had discussed before. Birth Control. My sister is terrified that she may have to have an experience with IF. She has her own views on BC. She has also stated that she is not ready to be a parent yet. *Since blogging, I have found an understanding for differences. Her views of this topic are somewhat different from mine and I try my very best to accept that. But, Let me tell you that it is MUCH easier to accept a difference of opinion from someone other than your younger sibling. ..sigh, I wish I were a better person, I wish I knew my feelings and emotions better so I could explain them more clearly.. After having a conversation about family planning (read: a yelling match until I figured out why I was yelling)... I realized how much emotional baggage I am still holding onto from my own IF journey. Yes, I said it... It still bothers me deeply. I have a baby and I still have not let go of all my hurt, anger and despair. I have now changed my thoughts on that subject now. Pre Baby Me - somehow didn't think about how I would cope/deal with alot of the baby topics. And it is not going as I expected. My sister even said that Since I had MT she assumed that all those negative hurtful feelings just disappear or go away .. I shared with her how deep those feelings go ... She was blown away that I was so candid and raw. Just a blubbering mess really ... I cried and cried and sobbed for what seemed like forever .. I actually cried myself to sleep. I have been running on adrenaline and exhaustion for quite some time that I just had never had time to think about these topics much. but faced with the discussions .. I crumpled .. I still have miles to go with digging up these feelings and dealing with them, but I hope one day I am truly able to embrace all pregnancies w/out envy or jealousy. I want to be able to genuinely be happy for whomever ... I do not want to feel the hair on the back of my neck draw up and my mind want to retreat and run or spit venom...
Ok on another note. I am reading this book ..I am just thoroughly enjoying this book. It is knocking my socks off .. I am in awe of this story .. A few more chapters and I will be done ..I may re-read it again
MT had his follow up appointment with the pediatric urologist today. Luckily, his minor ad.hes.ion's and a hydr.ocele have mostly corrected itself. The h.ydrocele did not turn out to be a her.nia and that part will not require surgery. The adhesion's ,on the other hand, have become very loose (which is partly a good thing - but partly a bad thing) but will require surgery. So, On Dec 22, MT will have the surgery to correct the issue. I am just nervous about this .... I just wish this didn't have to turn out this way for him ... He will never remember is what I am hoping
You know you just wanted to see pictures and I prolonged it:
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sweet Tooth
Finally ...Remember me constantly mentioning the torturous process of teething ... We finally have something to show for it ... A bud
Road Trip .. No not like the movie
I hope everyone had a great Halloween/candy night. Thank you for the compliments on the picture. I was quite proud of it myself. *there is an optical illusion in that picture ... E is behind the ledge hiding supporting MT's back ... He cannot sit up that good yet w/o support. but he wishes he could.
Janna tagged me for
...Back at you Janna
The way this works is I answer the following questions with single word responses, and pass the award on to 7 other bloggers:
1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Where is your significant other? Kitchen
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? tired
5. Your father? working
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? Bakery
9. The room you're in? Computer
10. Your hobby? TV
11. Your fear? Making wrong decisions
12. Where do you want to be in six years? home
13. Where were you last night? parents
14. What you're not? Prompt
15. One of your wish list items? part time job
16. Where you grew up? Tarpon
17. The last thing you did? ate
18. What are you wearing? PJ's
19. Your T.V.? Recording
20. Your pet? Rambunctious
21. Your computer? old
22. Your mood? somber
23. Missing someone? nope
24. Your car? packed
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your Summer? HOT
28. Love someone? deeply
29. Your favorite color? purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? yesterday
I love all your blogs .. Sooo Consider yourself tagged if you are reading mine!
I am off to my sister's to help get ready for her wedding. Road trip with me and MT .... E will be riding up with my parents on Wednesday. Wish me luck. It's my first trip by myself w/ MT and first time away from E in a long time. I hope I have everything I needed to bring. I am really excited.
We have MT's follow up appointment at the ped urologist on Monday. I am not looking forward to this appointment. I know that my husband has decided to go ahead and correct some of the issue. He has adhesion's that will need to be cut off, basically a re-circ ... In order to do this they will have to put him under .. I do not feel good about this .AT. ALL .. I am trying not to think about it until at the Dr's office because i just get choked up and dwell on it and end up crying about it. ... GAH, it's just not a pleasant thing to think about ....
Updates After the Wedding .. Or Wednesday when E joins us and I get the laptop back
Janna tagged me for
...Back at you JannaThe way this works is I answer the following questions with single word responses, and pass the award on to 7 other bloggers:
1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Where is your significant other? Kitchen
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? tired
5. Your father? working
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? Bakery
9. The room you're in? Computer
10. Your hobby? TV
11. Your fear? Making wrong decisions
12. Where do you want to be in six years? home
13. Where were you last night? parents
14. What you're not? Prompt
15. One of your wish list items? part time job
16. Where you grew up? Tarpon
17. The last thing you did? ate
18. What are you wearing? PJ's
19. Your T.V.? Recording
20. Your pet? Rambunctious
21. Your computer? old
22. Your mood? somber
23. Missing someone? nope
24. Your car? packed
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your Summer? HOT
28. Love someone? deeply
29. Your favorite color? purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? yesterday
I love all your blogs .. Sooo Consider yourself tagged if you are reading mine!
I am off to my sister's to help get ready for her wedding. Road trip with me and MT .... E will be riding up with my parents on Wednesday. Wish me luck. It's my first trip by myself w/ MT and first time away from E in a long time. I hope I have everything I needed to bring. I am really excited.
We have MT's follow up appointment at the ped urologist on Monday. I am not looking forward to this appointment. I know that my husband has decided to go ahead and correct some of the issue. He has adhesion's that will need to be cut off, basically a re-circ ... In order to do this they will have to put him under .. I do not feel good about this .AT. ALL .. I am trying not to think about it until at the Dr's office because i just get choked up and dwell on it and end up crying about it. ... GAH, it's just not a pleasant thing to think about ....
Updates After the Wedding .. Or Wednesday when E joins us and I get the laptop back
Friday, October 31, 2008
Trick or Treat
We took MT to my parents for Halloween. Actually we, Left MT at my parents for a few hours tonight while E and I went out to dinner. It was a pretty weird feeling. Eating a meal that was hot and with 2 hands. It felt nice but foreign. and he has only been here with us for 4.5 months ...
My Halloween pumpkin:
OK ..this is a warning, I have (over)shared lots on this blog, but I am about to go into intimacy with some emotional detail .. If you know me in real life and don't care to know this much info about me, you should take my warning. (although, I don't see a problem with you reading on)
E and I had a HUGE discussion,/fight/conversation last night. To say that our intimacy needs improving is probably an understatement. As so many know, intimacy somewhere along the way got lost. (and for those that didn't lost it - send me your secret) It was all about timing, dr's appointments, cycle schedules. I would not use the words spontaneous, fun or exciting to describe that part of our life for probably 5 yrs. Was it hurting our relationship then? Yes.. Did E mention it to me numerous times then? Yes, But I would just either get defensive or cry. So, Here we are sitting on the "other side" and we are STILL having this discussion. I have a 4.5 month old and I can count on 1 hand the number of times we have been intimate since I received a positive over a yr ago now. Does it bother me, Nope... Does it bother E, YES. In fact, It bothers him so much that he stated that he feels like I do not feel attracted to him and that he some how feels rejected, like a failure, and failed all at the same time. He said "like your cheesy romantic movies/song, I want you to want me". I cried. I had nothing to say to that. I am unsure what I can do to reverse this situation. I am unsure if this is related to my hormone levels, some form of PTSD, lack of interest for far too long, denial, exhaustion, etc. I hate that I am causing this situation in our relationship. I am sorry that I am uninterested in this area of intimacy, I am sorry and frustrated that he is feeling neglected, I am sorry he is tired of my excuses, I am sorry that I am tired ... I am trying to figure out what to do .. Mutually we suggested counseling ..maybe I(we) need it. It was a rough night. I laid in bed til 3-4 am trying to figure out what to do.. How can I be there for him in this way when I just don't feel it, when my house honestly looks like a tornado came through and I have no time/energy to clean it (for Christmas I asked my relatives to help me deep clean and re-organize my entire home) There is laundry in the washer, dryer and a load in the basket waiting to be folded, dishes in the sink, in the dishwasher, the stove is dirty from dinner, the floor needs to be vacuumed/moped, did I have a shower today? when is the last time I shaved is my outfit clean, .... AH make it stop ...... While he lays next to be snoring away, sleeping peacefully and soundly ....
I am told, I will adjust
My Halloween pumpkin:
OK ..this is a warning, I have (over)shared lots on this blog, but I am about to go into intimacy with some emotional detail .. If you know me in real life and don't care to know this much info about me, you should take my warning. (although, I don't see a problem with you reading on)
E and I had a HUGE discussion,/fight/conversation last night. To say that our intimacy needs improving is probably an understatement. As so many know, intimacy somewhere along the way got lost. (and for those that didn't lost it - send me your secret) It was all about timing, dr's appointments, cycle schedules. I would not use the words spontaneous, fun or exciting to describe that part of our life for probably 5 yrs. Was it hurting our relationship then? Yes.. Did E mention it to me numerous times then? Yes, But I would just either get defensive or cry. So, Here we are sitting on the "other side" and we are STILL having this discussion. I have a 4.5 month old and I can count on 1 hand the number of times we have been intimate since I received a positive over a yr ago now. Does it bother me, Nope... Does it bother E, YES. In fact, It bothers him so much that he stated that he feels like I do not feel attracted to him and that he some how feels rejected, like a failure, and failed all at the same time. He said "like your cheesy romantic movies/song, I want you to want me". I cried. I had nothing to say to that. I am unsure what I can do to reverse this situation. I am unsure if this is related to my hormone levels, some form of PTSD, lack of interest for far too long, denial, exhaustion, etc. I hate that I am causing this situation in our relationship. I am sorry that I am uninterested in this area of intimacy, I am sorry and frustrated that he is feeling neglected, I am sorry he is tired of my excuses, I am sorry that I am tired ... I am trying to figure out what to do .. Mutually we suggested counseling ..maybe I(we) need it. It was a rough night. I laid in bed til 3-4 am trying to figure out what to do.. How can I be there for him in this way when I just don't feel it, when my house honestly looks like a tornado came through and I have no time/energy to clean it (for Christmas I asked my relatives to help me deep clean and re-organize my entire home) There is laundry in the washer, dryer and a load in the basket waiting to be folded, dishes in the sink, in the dishwasher, the stove is dirty from dinner, the floor needs to be vacuumed/moped, did I have a shower today? when is the last time I shaved is my outfit clean, .... AH make it stop ...... While he lays next to be snoring away, sleeping peacefully and soundly ....
I am told, I will adjust
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Aboriginals, Alternative Pants and Monkeys
Ahhhh this weather is fantastic ... I love the chill in the air. It is So very rare to experience it this time of year. I am going to enjoy it while it lasts because..it will not last.
As soon as I hit post on those low self confidence posts ..I do regret it .. I regret it because It could sound as though I am complaining, And I assure you even if it sounds that way ... it is not meant to seem like a negative aspect of my life... I just get stuck on these in my life and they grip me or I grip them so hard it is hard to let go and move on ... ... This is not one of my finer qualities.
Moving on - I figured I would post what I have experienced w/MT the past few days (maybe a week)
As soon as I hit post on those low self confidence posts ..I do regret it .. I regret it because It could sound as though I am complaining, And I assure you even if it sounds that way ... it is not meant to seem like a negative aspect of my life... I just get stuck on these in my life and they grip me or I grip them so hard it is hard to let go and move on ... ... This is not one of my finer qualities.
Moving on - I figured I would post what I have experienced w/MT the past few days (maybe a week)
- From now on, if asked if I have a schedule, I will say Yes and keep it at that ....
- MT is really into this jabbering thing. He talks so much. Along with Talking and making sounds, his new favorite thing to do to get my attention is this fake cough/hacking sound. It is his newest hunger cue. We like to think that he is studying one of the many aboriginal languages. He has this mmmmmhmmmmmm sound he makes when he starts to get sleepy
- He has stopped his crying spell for car rides..thank god. That was no fun to deal with.
- Baby clothes are worse than woman's sizes .. I hate trying to figure out what size to buy. It always depends on the store I am in .. and even then it seems to vary.
- I thought these were the most stupid thing I had ever seen when I was pregnant .... I am now about to go searching for a pair because it is cold and MT HATES pants ... No matter what size pants he has one, they tend to squeeze that fat lil belly and he tends to get very miserable ( i know ... he is only a wee tot and already giving me grief about clothes) How do I know this, you ask... Take the pants off and he is a whole new boy Plus when changing a diaper, you can see they are leaving pretty red, raw indentions. So We put on alot of those one pieces on him.
- I need some of these for my sister's wedding next weekend. I am leaving to go up there on Sunday. This will be my first trip by myself anywhere. It's a 5/6 hour drive. I am still debating what will be the best time to travel, what I am taking with me (swing, bouncy, etc..) I will be there for a week. E and my parents are coming up Wednesday. I am going up early to help my sister get a few things done and hang out with her and friends before the big day. I am excited for her but nervous about how I am going to handle MT up there away from E and my parents all by myself. E and Myself are also in the wedding, So I am nervous about who will watch MT while we are in the ceremony. Things I should have thought of ... but, It will all work itself out.
- E has off Friday, MT has a monkey costume .. I am not sure where we are going, but we are going somewhere to show this costume off. Here is a sneak peak.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Why do I always feel I have to get on my soap box about this...
It has been relatively cool here lately. I am loving it. I just love the fall season. I think because it starts to cool off and we can enjoy being outside without sweating to death.
So, we tried cereal for 4 consecutive days. He seemed to enjoy it the first day because it was new, slurped it all down … the second day showed very little interest … third day no interest at all … fourth day, would not eat any of it. I was trying to make it alittle thicker the other days because the first day it was like liquidy and super messy. He liked that best ..but by adding cereal in our day, we managed to have some really off/abnormal days. He was pretty miserable. It seemed to be causing him some stomach discomfort, definitely constipated, Did not have a bowel movement until Sunday night - which seemed alleviate the fussiness/discomfort ... but that was 3 days w/o a bowel movement. He has been so regular until then ..every day around 10 am ish until introducing solids .....So we will put the cereal away and maybe try again at 5 months. I am just not sure his little stomach was ready for it ... or maybe this is normal..maybe there needs to be a built up tolerance that happens as you introduce it and it just gets better with time .. .. I am unsure. All I know is taking cereal out of our day yesterday gave us a MUCH better day.
I carved a pumpkin yesterday from the pumpkin patch we visited in GA. I haven't done that in years. The last time I think I did that was in college and my then boyfriend, now husband and I got into the biggest, nastiest pumpkin fight. He started it .. (i think) .. All I know is that it is extremely hard to get pumpkin guts out of your hair .... We made MT pose by my pumkpin
Frightened:
Now Happy:
On another note - It has been almost 18 weeks and my swing batteries are just now starting to die. Classical music on its last leg ... brings out a whole new sound
Speaking of classical music on its' last leg (from our swing) .. MT naps in his swing now .. He went back and forth on liking and disliking the swing. We are in a phase of liking it at the moment. It may change but for now, I get a good 1.5 - 2 hour nap/down time out of him in the swing. I know and have been told by MANY unapproving parents,grandparents, naysayers, anon commenter's, etc .. and I just don't really care or understand their concerns. I have received many unapproving looks by many things that I am choosing to do and some days it beats me down, other days, I don't get a crap .... Speaking of things that beat me down, I hate the word Schedule with a passion now for sure. I use the word pattern, and We adhere to that pattern most days but I like flexibility ... I have found myself becoming too neurotic and anxiety driven if I watch the clock too closely. I can have a full fledged silent panic attack along with other frustrations when clock watching and demanding expectations from MT. I find it be peaceful and relaxing for me to just go with the flow, watch for cues instead of "telling the 4 month old who is in control" ... Yes, I have been told that . I need to tell him who is boss, set the record straight now. I am unsure how much of a record I can set straight since only one of us speaks/understands the english language. I am trying to enforce cause/effect relationships right now. I do not wish to wrestle or torture someone who is just trying to understand the new surroundings .. Maybe that makes me a bit lax in my parenting style... maybe that makes me not a great structuralist for now .. Maybe we will both just figure it out as we go ...I am sure there will be mistakes, and I am sure there will be "i told you so's".. I wish there would not be i told you so's, but it seems that people are really competitive and determined to be "right" when raising children/grandchildren/students
Can you tell I am frustrating with the "right" way to parent ..... Why would you think there is only one Right way to parent .. aren't all people different? I know at many points in my life, I did not embrace differences. It seems that the general population have decided that all babies are the same and should all be raised the same ...I get so frustrated, beat down, discouraged and upset over this .. This bothers me so, because some days I am just coasting along and other days I am just surviving. I still do not have the confidence I need apparently .. but Blogging as really allowed me to embrace the different spices that life has to offer .... Embrace differences, judge less, gossip not
So, we tried cereal for 4 consecutive days. He seemed to enjoy it the first day because it was new, slurped it all down … the second day showed very little interest … third day no interest at all … fourth day, would not eat any of it. I was trying to make it alittle thicker the other days because the first day it was like liquidy and super messy. He liked that best ..but by adding cereal in our day, we managed to have some really off/abnormal days. He was pretty miserable. It seemed to be causing him some stomach discomfort, definitely constipated, Did not have a bowel movement until Sunday night - which seemed alleviate the fussiness/discomfort ... but that was 3 days w/o a bowel movement. He has been so regular until then ..every day around 10 am ish until introducing solids .....So we will put the cereal away and maybe try again at 5 months. I am just not sure his little stomach was ready for it ... or maybe this is normal..maybe there needs to be a built up tolerance that happens as you introduce it and it just gets better with time .. .. I am unsure. All I know is taking cereal out of our day yesterday gave us a MUCH better day.
I carved a pumpkin yesterday from the pumpkin patch we visited in GA. I haven't done that in years. The last time I think I did that was in college and my then boyfriend, now husband and I got into the biggest, nastiest pumpkin fight. He started it .. (i think) .. All I know is that it is extremely hard to get pumpkin guts out of your hair .... We made MT pose by my pumkpin
Frightened:Now Happy:
On another note - It has been almost 18 weeks and my swing batteries are just now starting to die. Classical music on its last leg ... brings out a whole new sound
Speaking of classical music on its' last leg (from our swing) .. MT naps in his swing now .. He went back and forth on liking and disliking the swing. We are in a phase of liking it at the moment. It may change but for now, I get a good 1.5 - 2 hour nap/down time out of him in the swing. I know and have been told by MANY unapproving parents,grandparents, naysayers, anon commenter's, etc .. and I just don't really care or understand their concerns. I have received many unapproving looks by many things that I am choosing to do and some days it beats me down, other days, I don't get a crap .... Speaking of things that beat me down, I hate the word Schedule with a passion now for sure. I use the word pattern, and We adhere to that pattern most days but I like flexibility ... I have found myself becoming too neurotic and anxiety driven if I watch the clock too closely. I can have a full fledged silent panic attack along with other frustrations when clock watching and demanding expectations from MT. I find it be peaceful and relaxing for me to just go with the flow, watch for cues instead of "telling the 4 month old who is in control" ... Yes, I have been told that . I need to tell him who is boss, set the record straight now. I am unsure how much of a record I can set straight since only one of us speaks/understands the english language. I am trying to enforce cause/effect relationships right now. I do not wish to wrestle or torture someone who is just trying to understand the new surroundings .. Maybe that makes me a bit lax in my parenting style... maybe that makes me not a great structuralist for now .. Maybe we will both just figure it out as we go ...I am sure there will be mistakes, and I am sure there will be "i told you so's".. I wish there would not be i told you so's, but it seems that people are really competitive and determined to be "right" when raising children/grandchildren/students
Can you tell I am frustrating with the "right" way to parent ..... Why would you think there is only one Right way to parent .. aren't all people different? I know at many points in my life, I did not embrace differences. It seems that the general population have decided that all babies are the same and should all be raised the same ...I get so frustrated, beat down, discouraged and upset over this .. This bothers me so, because some days I am just coasting along and other days I am just surviving. I still do not have the confidence I need apparently .. but Blogging as really allowed me to embrace the different spices that life has to offer .... Embrace differences, judge less, gossip not
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