I wanted to write about this last night, but the evening turned into night, and then into bedtime before I knew it!
So, dinnertime. It has been fun - and LONG - lately. K. is sometimes fussy and will sometimes eat anything and everything. Last night was great. It was about an hour - which really isn't a long time, but can seem so when you are saying the same things over and over... "Take a bite." "Mommy will clap." "Great job with that big bite!" You get the idea. In addition, we have been teaching K. to use a "big boy" cup, so it's been quite a process. He takes a bite, he gets a sip. He did very well last night and did not dribble ONCE! Yay! Good job drinking! That was also added to my phrases last night!
But we had a great time! Not only was he eating and drinking well, we had SO MUCH fun doing it! He ate ALL of his chicken and pasta with rosemary sauce. What 20 month old likes rosemary sauce??!!!? My boy! :) I was so proud. We are committed to not just feeding K. "kid food." We have it - the Chef Boyardee's, mac and cheese, etc. When he is a liittle fussy, or we are short on time, we can throw that in the micro or cook a few chicken strips and know all will be ok. We also have him eat with us and eat - or at least TRY - whatever we are having. He's already tried -and LOVED!!!- calamari! I think that it is wonderful that he will try anything.
I can see, though, how some parents can just give in and give their child whatever s/he wants. It is a lot of work - esp. after coming home from work. Or even just after a long day! But I really feel like the "hard" work that we are doing now (I know! It is probably nothing compared to what will be happening when he is 16!), will pay off and make things a little easier later on... Let's hope, anyway!
Tomorrow, after work, we are going to visit a rest home in town. I am going to see if they are looking forwar volunteers. I really want volunteering to be a part of K.'s life, so I think that we will start now. And he doesn't really have any older folks in his life. His ocal grandparents are YOUNG - only 50 - so, I would like that "elder connection" for him. I will let you know how that goes. Most older folks love babies, and I am sure that he would love the attention, so it should be good for all parties involved!
On that note, I am signing off! I am going to head to bed and catch some sleep before the sun is out again!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Cute-ness!
So, my little guy. He is SO cute! Everyday he does something new and he becomes even cuter! Is that even a word??!! I have never used the word "cute" so much before!
One of C.'s aunts brought a rocking horse over on Thanksgiving (we hosted! it was a blast! 25 people around the table!). The rockinig horse has been in the family for over 20 years. Now K. gets to use it. AND HE LOVES IT! It is very big - way taller than him and he needs help getting on it. Ad then he is off! He rocks so hard, that he creeps across the living room! It is so fun and CUTE to see!
He is also saying SO MANY words now! And what would take days or weeks for him to learn, he learns in a few minutes! We showed him a picture of Santa and said that he says "ho ho ho." Well, 5 minutes later, K. saw Santa and said "ho ho ho!" Wow! He blows my mind!!!
I really do hope that we have another child sometime in the next year or two. My life is so FULL right now and I love him to pieces, but having another would not only make out lives more fun, but his, too! He saw his baby cousin this weekend and hugged, kissed,, and gave him "pounds." It was...CUTE!
On a different note, I am starting to take my prozac again. I feel crazy taking prozac, but it TOTALLY mellows me out and makes me feel more level. Whatever - it works! And, from what I have been reading, it is one of the safer drugs to be on while pregs. I will most likely go OFF of it when I do get pregs again (I did before), but it feels good to know that it could be ok if I still needed it. :) Needless to say, C. is VERY happy! I am, too.
Are there are moms out there who dealt with high blood pressure/hypertension during and after pregnancy? 20 months later, I am still being weaned off of drugs and I would love to hear from others like me. Also, if you have any feedback on how to take care of it naturally, I would love to hear it!
Gotta get back to work now... more later on my CUTE little guy!
One of C.'s aunts brought a rocking horse over on Thanksgiving (we hosted! it was a blast! 25 people around the table!). The rockinig horse has been in the family for over 20 years. Now K. gets to use it. AND HE LOVES IT! It is very big - way taller than him and he needs help getting on it. Ad then he is off! He rocks so hard, that he creeps across the living room! It is so fun and CUTE to see!
He is also saying SO MANY words now! And what would take days or weeks for him to learn, he learns in a few minutes! We showed him a picture of Santa and said that he says "ho ho ho." Well, 5 minutes later, K. saw Santa and said "ho ho ho!" Wow! He blows my mind!!!
I really do hope that we have another child sometime in the next year or two. My life is so FULL right now and I love him to pieces, but having another would not only make out lives more fun, but his, too! He saw his baby cousin this weekend and hugged, kissed,, and gave him "pounds." It was...CUTE!
On a different note, I am starting to take my prozac again. I feel crazy taking prozac, but it TOTALLY mellows me out and makes me feel more level. Whatever - it works! And, from what I have been reading, it is one of the safer drugs to be on while pregs. I will most likely go OFF of it when I do get pregs again (I did before), but it feels good to know that it could be ok if I still needed it. :) Needless to say, C. is VERY happy! I am, too.
Are there are moms out there who dealt with high blood pressure/hypertension during and after pregnancy? 20 months later, I am still being weaned off of drugs and I would love to hear from others like me. Also, if you have any feedback on how to take care of it naturally, I would love to hear it!
Gotta get back to work now... more later on my CUTE little guy!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Preeclampsia.
No one talks about this when you are pregnant. I am writing about it because one of my best friends, Heidi, just had her baby. A cute little boy! Congrats, womin! :)
But, she got it. Anf she is a healthy woman! If I recall, she was teaching aerobics for a good part of her preganancy and a walking maniac until she could barely move. When I was talking to her last night, she told me that 4 weeks before she had her son, her doc said that her blood pressure was a little high, but not to worry. When she went in for one of her regular check ups, her bp was high and she had gained 4 lbs in one week. The docs sent her to the hospital, induced her, and she ended up with an EMERGENCY c section the next day. I know things can change in a second, but when you are under constant supervision, I do not know how it can become an emergency. Maybe I am still upset because the same sort of thing happened to me...
My birth story...
I had a great pregnancy. I was healthier that I had ever been in my life. I gave into my cravings for mozzarella sticks, but only had on with dinner and not the whole box. :) I was actually losing MY wieght during my pregnancy and gaining baby weight. It was great! During my 7th month, I started gaining water weight. My feet would swell, but if I put them up, they'd be ok. My midwives were not worried. My bp was still GREAT! I had never had problems with my blood pressure before. At the beginning of my 9th month, I started gaining a lot of water. But no one was worried because everything else was ok. Then, on my due date, at a regular check up, my bp was slightly elevated. I was also HUGE. My belly was big, and I was so swollen. I also thought that I was leaking, and they did a quick test, and it seemed like I was. But, they sent me home. Came back the next day for a non stress test for baby. He was fine. My bp was still a little high, I had trace protein in my urine, but I was sent home for the weekend. When I went back on Monday, the non stress test was fine, they did an u/s and found out that he was about 9 lbs or so and his fluids were low, my bp was comtiniuing to get higher and I had more protein in my urine. They admitted me. They started to induce me that night. I continued in labor Tuesday, tried going natural, and after 8 hours and only dilating 1 cm, asked for drugs. Had a panic attack that night and a wonderful nurse stayed by me all night long. C was also there every second. Wednesday morning thihngs were looking better with baby. I had dilated some more. My bp was still really high and they started talking about mag sulfate. Whatever. Just give me whatever I need is what I said. I found out afterwards that they give you mag sulfate when your bp gets so high that they are worried that you might have seizures or a stroke! Anyway, the mag made me feel crazy. Where there was one person, I saw 4. All day long, my bp was rising, baby was fine. Finally, at around 8 pm, dilated at 9 cm, bp really high (like 2something/150), had a fever, they decided to do a c section. And now, because of the fever, too, it was a real emergency. This was DAY 3 OF MY INDUCTION IN THE HOSPITAL. While doing the c, because K. was so far down the birth canal, when they pulled him out, they tore my uterus almost to my cervix. I FELT IT. I screamed like I had never screamer before, told C. to go with our son, and that's all I remember. A c section is supposed to take about 45 minutes from start to finish. I went in around 8/830 pm. I got back to my, and saw my son for the first time at 5 am. I need 2 units of blood that night, 2 the next day. I found out that there were lots of codes called because I kept bleeding. C. had no idea what was going on. I almost needed a hysterectomy. Had a 10 day hospital stay and a nurse visiting me at home for 3 months. 20 months later, I am still on bp medication. I wish that they had done it sooner. I am glad K. is good and healthy, and I am doing everything I can to become a healthier woman, but I can't help but wonder if things would have been a little different if they had taken action earlier on.
This happens to a lot of women. My sister just had a baby and also had preeclampsia. They did the c section earlier on, so, 6 weeks later, she is doing well. No one talks about this. And when I was talking to Heidi last night, she was saying the same thing. So, I am stating... Please feel free to share your stories.
What is also important to remember, is that something like this really is traumatic. My therapist said that I was suffering from PTSD afterwards. I had nightmares, was so afraid that I was going to die. Upon going back to work, I had such a sever panic attack, that I really thought that I was having a heart attack. Now I have medication for that, too!
ALL that said, now that I am on the men, I would love to have another baby. Before doing so, I will meet with a high risk ob. My ob, afterwards, said that something like that would NOT happen again because they would keep their eyes out for any signs. I would also have a c section scheduled. That makes me feel a little better. I was told to wait at least 18 months before I even thought about trying again. Now, 20 months later, we are starting to talk about it. I do not think that we will start trying til next year - maybe a little later - but I just want to plan and be prepared. So, I am on the hunt for a good ob. If anyone knows of one south of Boston, please let me know!
What I learned from this experience is that women's bodies are very strong and powerful and that we do not give ourselves enough credit. We need to ALWAYS honor and love our bodies and ourselves. And we also need to take good care of them and love them and feed them and nourish them well.
Here is a great site for support:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/share.aspx
But, she got it. Anf she is a healthy woman! If I recall, she was teaching aerobics for a good part of her preganancy and a walking maniac until she could barely move. When I was talking to her last night, she told me that 4 weeks before she had her son, her doc said that her blood pressure was a little high, but not to worry. When she went in for one of her regular check ups, her bp was high and she had gained 4 lbs in one week. The docs sent her to the hospital, induced her, and she ended up with an EMERGENCY c section the next day. I know things can change in a second, but when you are under constant supervision, I do not know how it can become an emergency. Maybe I am still upset because the same sort of thing happened to me...
My birth story...
I had a great pregnancy. I was healthier that I had ever been in my life. I gave into my cravings for mozzarella sticks, but only had on with dinner and not the whole box. :) I was actually losing MY wieght during my pregnancy and gaining baby weight. It was great! During my 7th month, I started gaining water weight. My feet would swell, but if I put them up, they'd be ok. My midwives were not worried. My bp was still GREAT! I had never had problems with my blood pressure before. At the beginning of my 9th month, I started gaining a lot of water. But no one was worried because everything else was ok. Then, on my due date, at a regular check up, my bp was slightly elevated. I was also HUGE. My belly was big, and I was so swollen. I also thought that I was leaking, and they did a quick test, and it seemed like I was. But, they sent me home. Came back the next day for a non stress test for baby. He was fine. My bp was still a little high, I had trace protein in my urine, but I was sent home for the weekend. When I went back on Monday, the non stress test was fine, they did an u/s and found out that he was about 9 lbs or so and his fluids were low, my bp was comtiniuing to get higher and I had more protein in my urine. They admitted me. They started to induce me that night. I continued in labor Tuesday, tried going natural, and after 8 hours and only dilating 1 cm, asked for drugs. Had a panic attack that night and a wonderful nurse stayed by me all night long. C was also there every second. Wednesday morning thihngs were looking better with baby. I had dilated some more. My bp was still really high and they started talking about mag sulfate. Whatever. Just give me whatever I need is what I said. I found out afterwards that they give you mag sulfate when your bp gets so high that they are worried that you might have seizures or a stroke! Anyway, the mag made me feel crazy. Where there was one person, I saw 4. All day long, my bp was rising, baby was fine. Finally, at around 8 pm, dilated at 9 cm, bp really high (like 2something/150), had a fever, they decided to do a c section. And now, because of the fever, too, it was a real emergency. This was DAY 3 OF MY INDUCTION IN THE HOSPITAL. While doing the c, because K. was so far down the birth canal, when they pulled him out, they tore my uterus almost to my cervix. I FELT IT. I screamed like I had never screamer before, told C. to go with our son, and that's all I remember. A c section is supposed to take about 45 minutes from start to finish. I went in around 8/830 pm. I got back to my, and saw my son for the first time at 5 am. I need 2 units of blood that night, 2 the next day. I found out that there were lots of codes called because I kept bleeding. C. had no idea what was going on. I almost needed a hysterectomy. Had a 10 day hospital stay and a nurse visiting me at home for 3 months. 20 months later, I am still on bp medication. I wish that they had done it sooner. I am glad K. is good and healthy, and I am doing everything I can to become a healthier woman, but I can't help but wonder if things would have been a little different if they had taken action earlier on.
This happens to a lot of women. My sister just had a baby and also had preeclampsia. They did the c section earlier on, so, 6 weeks later, she is doing well. No one talks about this. And when I was talking to Heidi last night, she was saying the same thing. So, I am stating... Please feel free to share your stories.
What is also important to remember, is that something like this really is traumatic. My therapist said that I was suffering from PTSD afterwards. I had nightmares, was so afraid that I was going to die. Upon going back to work, I had such a sever panic attack, that I really thought that I was having a heart attack. Now I have medication for that, too!
ALL that said, now that I am on the men, I would love to have another baby. Before doing so, I will meet with a high risk ob. My ob, afterwards, said that something like that would NOT happen again because they would keep their eyes out for any signs. I would also have a c section scheduled. That makes me feel a little better. I was told to wait at least 18 months before I even thought about trying again. Now, 20 months later, we are starting to talk about it. I do not think that we will start trying til next year - maybe a little later - but I just want to plan and be prepared. So, I am on the hunt for a good ob. If anyone knows of one south of Boston, please let me know!
What I learned from this experience is that women's bodies are very strong and powerful and that we do not give ourselves enough credit. We need to ALWAYS honor and love our bodies and ourselves. And we also need to take good care of them and love them and feed them and nourish them well.
Here is a great site for support:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/share.aspx
Monday, November 06, 2006
Teeth.
K's getting more. And they are molars. And there are 3 or 4 coming in. Poor little guy. He is tired, but doesn't want to sleep - only during the day, thankfully! He is attached to me. ANd I mean, the umbilical cord is growing back! Seriously, he does not want to be away from me!!! His bum is red - bright, bright red. And he has super diarherra... am I even spelling that right? Everything he eats comes out as quickly as it went in. So, he is eating lots of bland foods and rinking lots of clear liquids. He really wants milk, though. I wish that I could give it to him, but the doc said no. And I don't want his belly to hurt him either...
Any advice from the parents out there? How did/do you deal with your little one when tons of teeth were coming in at the same time. I keep telling him that he won't remember, but I know that he is in pain. Oh. And he loves orajel and the little while pills (those of you who've used these know what they are).
Thanks for any advice!
Any advice from the parents out there? How did/do you deal with your little one when tons of teeth were coming in at the same time. I keep telling him that he won't remember, but I know that he is in pain. Oh. And he loves orajel and the little while pills (those of you who've used these know what they are).
Thanks for any advice!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Getting used to this...
So, that's what I am trying to do... get used to having a blog AND posting on it. Not so good...yet...
Anyway...
That last post - the one about the guy from my church. He died. I knew that it was going to happen. Everyone knew. And it bothered me more than I thought it would. I felt like I shouldn't have been sad because I didn't know him too well, we weren't that close... But it hit me hard. I was - am - so sad. For his family - I am glad that they do not have to see him in pain, but now they are in pain. He leaves a young husband and 2 young children... lots of friends and family. I went to the funeral. It was so hard to go. I had a hard time thinking outside of myself. I didn't want to go because I was sad. It's not about me. I wanted to go to remember and be there for his family. I am glad that I went - it was very sad, but nice to be around so many people who love and honor a wonderful guy. I brought K. with me. It was a Friday afternoon, so he wasn't in daycare. It was outside and rainy. It was amazing, though. It was like K. knew to be quiet and that we were somewhere sacred. I can't explaini it. It feels a little weird to say "he was so good," and "he just knew," but he did. I was so proud of him, and also felt good that I was able to help him learn how to act. If that makes any sense...
That was last month...
Now, we are preparing to host a Thanksgiving Day celebration at our house. That means a lot of cleaning!!!! As much of a paini it is, it's nice to have something to get us moving on straightening up the house! We have hosted TDay before, but this will be the first time with K. here! I am excited about creating traditions with and for him. I love TDay. It's not a religious holiday, for one. It's also such a beautiful time of the year - especially in New England. It's usually cold outside, but warm inside - warm with freinds and family. AND... I usually polish off a bottle of winie by noon and feel pretty happy! :) The stress of having so many people to our house gets to me. I am then banished from the kitchen and just have a great time!
K. and I are travelling to Atlanta, GA (aka HOTlanta) in a couple of weeks. That's where his godparents live. I am excited! He has flown before, so hopefully that will be ok. I am just excited that he will have some time to spend with his wonderful godparents. His godmother is my best friend. We've known eachother sinice 2nd grade - so that's...25 years! Holy crap!!!! She's just a great woman. What else can I say? Her husband is K.'s godfather. I've known him sinice they've been together - I think that's 10-ish years? Anyway, he is a great guy. When we were deciding on godparents, we were having a hard time. We are UU, so it's not expected that you pick godparents. People do, because most folks come from a Catholic or Christian background. C. really wanted him to have godparents. I wanted to do it right if we were going to do it, and not just pick one of our sibs because they are our sibs. And then hurting someone's feelings... Kind of silly, really. We know that everyone loves him very much. SO... we picked our friends because they are good people - hold similar beliefs to us. But different, too, so K. will learn things from them that he will not from us. But also, and more importantly, spiritual. I know that, if anything should ever happen, they will teach K. how to be a good, kind, and loving man. That's all that matters to me, and I know that they would do that. So, that's my long story about our trip to Hotlanta! It will be a fun one! :)
Alrighty! That's it for now! Please bear with me while I try to update and get used to this blog thing. I like it - it's fun, I just forget about it sometimes!
Anyway...
That last post - the one about the guy from my church. He died. I knew that it was going to happen. Everyone knew. And it bothered me more than I thought it would. I felt like I shouldn't have been sad because I didn't know him too well, we weren't that close... But it hit me hard. I was - am - so sad. For his family - I am glad that they do not have to see him in pain, but now they are in pain. He leaves a young husband and 2 young children... lots of friends and family. I went to the funeral. It was so hard to go. I had a hard time thinking outside of myself. I didn't want to go because I was sad. It's not about me. I wanted to go to remember and be there for his family. I am glad that I went - it was very sad, but nice to be around so many people who love and honor a wonderful guy. I brought K. with me. It was a Friday afternoon, so he wasn't in daycare. It was outside and rainy. It was amazing, though. It was like K. knew to be quiet and that we were somewhere sacred. I can't explaini it. It feels a little weird to say "he was so good," and "he just knew," but he did. I was so proud of him, and also felt good that I was able to help him learn how to act. If that makes any sense...
That was last month...
Now, we are preparing to host a Thanksgiving Day celebration at our house. That means a lot of cleaning!!!! As much of a paini it is, it's nice to have something to get us moving on straightening up the house! We have hosted TDay before, but this will be the first time with K. here! I am excited about creating traditions with and for him. I love TDay. It's not a religious holiday, for one. It's also such a beautiful time of the year - especially in New England. It's usually cold outside, but warm inside - warm with freinds and family. AND... I usually polish off a bottle of winie by noon and feel pretty happy! :) The stress of having so many people to our house gets to me. I am then banished from the kitchen and just have a great time!
K. and I are travelling to Atlanta, GA (aka HOTlanta) in a couple of weeks. That's where his godparents live. I am excited! He has flown before, so hopefully that will be ok. I am just excited that he will have some time to spend with his wonderful godparents. His godmother is my best friend. We've known eachother sinice 2nd grade - so that's...25 years! Holy crap!!!! She's just a great woman. What else can I say? Her husband is K.'s godfather. I've known him sinice they've been together - I think that's 10-ish years? Anyway, he is a great guy. When we were deciding on godparents, we were having a hard time. We are UU, so it's not expected that you pick godparents. People do, because most folks come from a Catholic or Christian background. C. really wanted him to have godparents. I wanted to do it right if we were going to do it, and not just pick one of our sibs because they are our sibs. And then hurting someone's feelings... Kind of silly, really. We know that everyone loves him very much. SO... we picked our friends because they are good people - hold similar beliefs to us. But different, too, so K. will learn things from them that he will not from us. But also, and more importantly, spiritual. I know that, if anything should ever happen, they will teach K. how to be a good, kind, and loving man. That's all that matters to me, and I know that they would do that. So, that's my long story about our trip to Hotlanta! It will be a fun one! :)
Alrighty! That's it for now! Please bear with me while I try to update and get used to this blog thing. I like it - it's fun, I just forget about it sometimes!
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