One: I'm pretty sure that Wylie has started teething. The drooling is out of control, and he seems to be running a very mild fever. His cheeks are bright red and he's very restless. Plus, I thought that he was going to crack through my thumb joint while gnawing on it on the plane ride home from FL. Poor little guy. I gave him a little Tylenol yesterday because he hadn't had a good nap and he finally slept for like 3 hours. Same story today. Plus, I smoothed my finger around his bottom gum to check it out and it feels like that telltall bump has started to cut through. Poor baby.
Two: The camera charger arrived and it works! So, you all can expect more pictures!
Three: Florida was very nice. We had awesome weather on Sunday and we actually spent some time down by the pool. I got a little bit of color even! Wylie hung out in his stroller and Christina and I actually went in the hottub. It was very nice. But the real reason for our little trip was to visit my grandmother. I don't remember if I actually wrote about it, but she broke her hip at the beginning of February and had to have a partial hip replacement. The ironic thing is that she broke her hip after leaving her pre-op appointment for her glaucoma surgery. So the glaucoma surgery was postponed. The partial hip replacement went well and she spent some time in a rehab hospital but is now home. She has excellent mobility and is able to walk well through their trailer without the use of a walking aid. She said the only time she uses a walking aid is outside because of the uneven ground surface. The visiting physical therapist has her outside and walking up and down their block with him and he is just amazed at how well she is doing. She is able to go up and down their (three) stairs into the trailer without issue and can get in and out of the car easily as well. She needs help in the bathroom as they don't have a raised toilet seat, but as far as I'm concerned, that's a pretty moot point, in comparison! However, from the hip surgery, she does have a UTI. She still very confused, and I understand that this is a symptom of a UTI in older adults. I don't think it's terribly serious, as she is aware that she is confused. There also doesn't seem to be any real problem with her memory. She also knew who Christy, uncle Larry, Wylie and I were, so it's not like the confusion is real effusive, but it is disconcerting to hear that she doesn't know where the bathroom is in their one-bedroom trailer. Her arm strength is also terrible; it was kind of heartbreaking to hear her say that she really wanted to hold Wylie but didn't trust her strength. So my uncle Larry, cousin Christy, grandpa, and I all took turns holding him by her so she could feel like she was holding him without the worry of having to control his squirming. But we continue to keep our hopes up.
Four: We are currently hoping to be able to go back and visit Chad's parents before he has to leave at the end of March. We were checking out airfare prices today and it looks like it might be about $600 round-trip. But everything is still up in the air, so who knows.
Five: Chad's dad is currently undergoing testing to determine the cause of a seizure he had while snowmobiling with some friends and spreading his father's ashes. The doctor thinks it might be neurological instead of diabetic, so Chad has been pretty worried about that. The tests were to have been done this past weekend, so we're still awaiting results. The doctor did caution that sometimes they aren't able to determine the cause, but still, that's a scary thing. We've talked about it, and Chad and I are pretty confident that the doctor is going to tell him it's time to take better care of himself. Which is the truth.
Six: In Florida, we hit the flea market and I scored an awesome pair of "designer" sunglasses (knockoff Coco Chanel) and a set of queen-sized sheets with an extra set of pillow cases for $20. The big part of that deal? They're 1200 threadcount!!! Super soft. They're in the wash right now and I can hardly wait to slip between the sheets!
Seven: I don't know if I've had some kind of deficiency or what, but I have totally been craving comfort food lately. Hence, I've been making meatloaf with brown gravy, pierogi, soups, and beef stew. I've also been eating a ton of cornbread (from the Safeway - it's amazing. You must try it!). And Mom, if you're reading this, I know you never made those foods, or if you did, I didn't like them, but they're what I'm craving. And they are SOOOO GOOD!! (And if you want the recipes, aside from the peirogi which is store-bought, you can get them in the cookbook my cousins are selling in order to raise money to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day this fall in Detroit, MI. If you're interested, email my cousin at CKleymeer AT gmail.com (formatted to avoid auto spammers) to pre-order ASAP because the orders are due by this weekend....)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
I Wish an Apple a Day Kept the Doctor Away
So last Thursday, Chad and I took Wylie to see the pediatric surgeon. The CCAM is still present in the lung, and it is in the central portion of the chest, rather than sitting on the outside right under the ribs. At this point, the surgeon has requested an x-ray at 6 months and then surgery sometime around a year of age. The surgery will most likely consist of a small incision between the ribs and removing the cyst via that incision. The location of the cyst will make the surgery more tricky, but he said that it should go very well.
So, that's the update on the health situation. Wylie does have a Well Baby check on March 4, so there will be more baby goodness to come. :)
And, I got a new camera this weekend! Except it came with the wrong battery charger, so I'm waiting for the correct one to come in the mail. Grr.
This Thursday, Wylie and I will be leaving for Florida to go visit my grandmother. Mind you, I called my grandfather and told him the evening I purchased my ticket that we would be coming. But apparently, my grandmother didn't remember that we were coming. Yikes. Should be interesting...
So, that's the update on the health situation. Wylie does have a Well Baby check on March 4, so there will be more baby goodness to come. :)
And, I got a new camera this weekend! Except it came with the wrong battery charger, so I'm waiting for the correct one to come in the mail. Grr.
This Thursday, Wylie and I will be leaving for Florida to go visit my grandmother. Mind you, I called my grandfather and told him the evening I purchased my ticket that we would be coming. But apparently, my grandmother didn't remember that we were coming. Yikes. Should be interesting...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Why Is Everyone Scared of a Little Snow?
Well, the baby is sleeping, and apparently, he's decided on a nice, long nap. Which is great, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't expecting him to sleep for more than, say, 30 minutes! I made my phone calls to tricare, which were useless as they were for making appointments and their appointment-making line is down. I need to schedule an appointment for myself and Wylie's Well Baby exam, so yeah. I guess I have to wait until tomorrow. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss since he's sleeping so long.
On a different note, it started snowing here yesterday and is still snowing. I just talked to Chad, who is driving home, and he said that the weather is really bad. That means he might have a snow day tomorrow! Yay! But that would be absolutely awful if post is closed because I'm supposed to be picking up the CD of Wylie's CT scan images tomorrow. God knows those lazy civilians won't be trekking into post to work because of a little fluffy, white stuff. They better get that CD made before Thursday because our consultation appointment with the pediatric surgeon is Thursday at 1. Oh well, time well tell, I guess. I'll post after our appointment and update then.
On a different note, it started snowing here yesterday and is still snowing. I just talked to Chad, who is driving home, and he said that the weather is really bad. That means he might have a snow day tomorrow! Yay! But that would be absolutely awful if post is closed because I'm supposed to be picking up the CD of Wylie's CT scan images tomorrow. God knows those lazy civilians won't be trekking into post to work because of a little fluffy, white stuff. They better get that CD made before Thursday because our consultation appointment with the pediatric surgeon is Thursday at 1. Oh well, time well tell, I guess. I'll post after our appointment and update then.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Another Day, Another Doctor...
Sigh. We got the referral sheet in the mail today from TriCare, so tomorrow morning I can call the pediatric surgeon for the consult appointment. It also means that tomorrow, I need to haul myself down to Evans Army Community Hospital and fill out paperwork to have a CD of Wylie's CT Scan images made to bring to the surgeon's office with us.
I can't tell you how excited I am by that prospect because most of the people who work at that damn hospital seem to relish just phoning it in. Those people are awful - they take their damn time doing anything so it's going to be GREAT going there tomorrow and waiting for them to make the damn CD. Will update as we know more...
I can't tell you how excited I am by that prospect because most of the people who work at that damn hospital seem to relish just phoning it in. Those people are awful - they take their damn time doing anything so it's going to be GREAT going there tomorrow and waiting for them to make the damn CD. Will update as we know more...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Be Careful What You Wish For...
Because I spent a lot of time wishing that the doctor would hurry up and call with the CT scan results. But let me backtrack for a moment...
We finally got the CT scheduled for last Friday. The first time, Wylie was SUPER pissed that his legs were weighted down and that I had to hold his arms above his head, so he screamed the whole time and they couldn't get a clear scan. The doctor suggested that we could wait around until he fell asleep or we could schedule another appointment. Well, he was looking pretty tired, so I agreed to wait. I put him back in his stroller and we walked over to the vending machines so I could get a snack, because it was after lunchtime and I hadn't eaten yet. By the time we got back to radiology and I'd finished my snack, he was asleep. They turned down the lights and we got him back on the table. He even raised his arms up all on his own!
So meanwhile, I've been waiting with baited breath for the doc to call with the results. And the verdict is: the CCAM is still there. Which means he will have to have surgery. The next step is waiting for TriCare to approve the referral to the pediatric surgeon. I will update as we learn more.
We finally got the CT scheduled for last Friday. The first time, Wylie was SUPER pissed that his legs were weighted down and that I had to hold his arms above his head, so he screamed the whole time and they couldn't get a clear scan. The doctor suggested that we could wait around until he fell asleep or we could schedule another appointment. Well, he was looking pretty tired, so I agreed to wait. I put him back in his stroller and we walked over to the vending machines so I could get a snack, because it was after lunchtime and I hadn't eaten yet. By the time we got back to radiology and I'd finished my snack, he was asleep. They turned down the lights and we got him back on the table. He even raised his arms up all on his own!
So meanwhile, I've been waiting with baited breath for the doc to call with the results. And the verdict is: the CCAM is still there. Which means he will have to have surgery. The next step is waiting for TriCare to approve the referral to the pediatric surgeon. I will update as we learn more.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Simple Seven
One: Friday night Chad and I went to Jack Quinn's for dinner. We had an appetizer, bread and salads, our entrees, and dessert. And let me just tell you, I have litterally been dreaming about our app! It was Irish pub stout beef crostinis. It was this delicious beef and onion covered in gravy on little pieces of toasted bread. Then, they had this amazing blue cheese cream to drizzle on top. I can't even tell you how delicious it was!!
Two: I'm still waiting to hear when the CT appointment will be for Wylie.
Three: my grandmother broke her hip yesterday. :( I wish I could go visit her.
Four: Chad is now going to be leaving for Germany at the beginning of April, instead of the beginning of May.
Five: my parents are going to try to come out and visit mid-April, and then hopefully Jarvs can come out and visit in May.
Six: I've decided I like pampers diapers better than huggies. It seems like the huggies fill up and then leak very quickly. We've had more mishaps with them than with the pampers. Oh well - I'm not looking the free diaper gift horse in the mouth!
Seven: Wylie will have his next Well Baby appointment the beginning of March. I can't believe how fast he's growing!
Two: I'm still waiting to hear when the CT appointment will be for Wylie.
Three: my grandmother broke her hip yesterday. :( I wish I could go visit her.
Four: Chad is now going to be leaving for Germany at the beginning of April, instead of the beginning of May.
Five: my parents are going to try to come out and visit mid-April, and then hopefully Jarvs can come out and visit in May.
Six: I've decided I like pampers diapers better than huggies. It seems like the huggies fill up and then leak very quickly. We've had more mishaps with them than with the pampers. Oh well - I'm not looking the free diaper gift horse in the mouth!
Seven: Wylie will have his next Well Baby appointment the beginning of March. I can't believe how fast he's growing!
Monday, January 25, 2010
CT Scan Update, part deux
Update part II: I called the pediatrician's office and explained the whole situation. His records still aren't scanned in but dr. Watson is going the call and have them sent directly to her and then order the CT scan. On a development note, Wylie is really coming along! Two nights ago, I removed the bassinet part of the pack and play as he was getting too long for it. Now he's sleeping in the pack and play itself, albeit at the raised setting. As long as I swaddle him tightly, he sleeps pretty well. We'll probably have him sleep in our room for a few more weeks before moving him into his crib. It's bittersweet; he's growing so fast! He's also been getting tummy time and is doing really well at supporting his neck and lifting his head up while on his stomach. We're trying to get him to find sleep on his own (i.e. Let him fall asleep) instead of having to coax him to sleep all the time. So far, it's an uphill battle, lol. He's recently started drooling on everything, and he's started to gnaw on our hands/fingers while we're holding him. He's also starting to move into his 3-6 month clothes, instead of just his 0-3 stuff. Ok, so there's just a quick update. And BTW: I love the mobile blogging!
CT Scan Update
Update: so apparently his pediatrician will have to enter the order. Which is great, because she doesn't have any of his records! Argh! So instead of waiting for some retard on post to decide to work, I ordered copies of the records and I will just bring them to her myself. I was worried that this was going to happen...
CT Scan, Anyone?
So today, since I couldn't find the paperwork from the hospital, I called the scheduling system to find out when Wylie's CT scan will be. They don't have the order for it, so I'm waiting to hear back from MFM on what to do now. The best part is that when I took him in for his two-month Well Baby appointment, no one from Tricare had scanned his records in yet. It was awesome - his pediatrician didn't have any of the information yet on the CCAM. I love how so many of the people who work on post, both military and civilian, just phone it in. Thank you, morons, for making a potentially difficult situation even more stressful. I'll update once I know what's going on with the CT appt.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Mobile Posting
So I've enabled posting via my phone through texts. I'll be testing this out for a little while to see if I like it. I'm not exactly certain how the posts will show up or if they'll be cohesive. But I am sorry for the long lapse in posts. I'll be posting again soon once I see how this post is displayed. Bear with me :)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Whew!
Okay, so after fighting (figuratively, of course) with both Photobucket and Blogspot, I finally got my slideshow to look how I wanted it and be positioned where I wanted it. All it took was for me to manually edit some HTML code. And multiplying whole integers with fractions. It was not easy. But I'm fully enjoying the fruits of my labor! Anyway...
Bath time tonight was interesting. This is the first time I've given Wylie a bath completely solo. Before, I've had people around who could fetch me things I'd forgotten to have right on hand (you know, like a towel, a clean diaper, pajamas, etc.) or to clean up for me while I started in on feeding him (dump the tub water, hang up the towels, throw out the dirty diaper, etc.). It was also the first time that he hasn't peed in the bathtub. (Score!) So, the avoiding-forgotten-essentials thing was easily avoided: simply set things up well in advance of bathtime. Okie dokie. I got him undressed and into the tub no problem. I also found that if I quick wash his face and then lay the warm washcloth over his crotch, he doesn't pee. So I washed his hair and then simply wiped him down with warm water, foregoing the body wash, to keep his skin from drying out too much. He seemed to really enjoy it too. Yay! Because let me tell you, the first time I bathed him after his umbilicus fell off, he screamed the whole damn time! But now, he screams when I take him out of the bath. I don't entirely understand why - the bathroom where we bathe him is really warm, no drafts and he goes right into his hooded towel. Maybe he's just not ready to leave the bathtub yet? Maybe he's just like his momma and he wants a nice leisurely soak in the tub? Well, I'm not about to head down that road yet - I really don't want to clean poop out of the tub. Yes, I hear that eventually, every kid poops in the tub. Fine. I just don't want to have to cross that bridge just yet.
Anyway, I got him bathed and changed without a hitch. And as much as I hate Chad being gone and really wish that he was here to help me right now, I feel pretty okay about this last week. I think it's been a good test run for when he's going to be gone again (end of January for about 10-14 days and then probably March or April for a good six months or more). I'm glad that I don't just have to go cold turkey on this whole fake-single-mom bit, and I still have LOADS of respect for anyone who is raising a child (or, gasp, CHILDREN) on their own. You are truly super stars!
Gads. Lastly, I would just like to say, I sufficiently scared the crap out of myself tonight. I sincerely enjoy watching shows like A Haunting, Ghost Lab, Ghost Whisperer, etc. Well, Friday night tv really sucks since Psych is on a mid-season break (and is moving to a new night anyway) and so is White Collar, so I was flipping through the channels and I saw The Haunted on Animal Planet. Usually these shows don't bother me all that much. But this one in particular focuses on the effects of hauntings on pets. WTF. I don't believe my house is haunted (I do believe I've been in a legitimate haunted house before, I can write more about that another time), but I do believe that my cats are crazy. For pete's sake, I have a cat on Prozac! But it was eerie to here these people's descriptions of their pets behavior in the midst of the alleged hauntings. I don't know - I can't really put my finger on it. But suffice it to say I then watched an hour of That 70s Show and then kind of got roped into watching the first part of an informercial for this that kind of intrigued me in order to kind of clear my head.
Sidenote: That body shaper is intriguing because of the ad - I don't really think I need one just yet. But I'm totally a sucker for advertising, I've decided. It's a good thing I don't have an inexhaustible account - I'd buy tons of useless junk, I'm sure. Thank God I'm smarter than that and don't have throwaway money!
Okay, I have to go get wrist-deep in poopy and feed the baby. Good night all!
Bath time tonight was interesting. This is the first time I've given Wylie a bath completely solo. Before, I've had people around who could fetch me things I'd forgotten to have right on hand (you know, like a towel, a clean diaper, pajamas, etc.) or to clean up for me while I started in on feeding him (dump the tub water, hang up the towels, throw out the dirty diaper, etc.). It was also the first time that he hasn't peed in the bathtub. (Score!) So, the avoiding-forgotten-essentials thing was easily avoided: simply set things up well in advance of bathtime. Okie dokie. I got him undressed and into the tub no problem. I also found that if I quick wash his face and then lay the warm washcloth over his crotch, he doesn't pee. So I washed his hair and then simply wiped him down with warm water, foregoing the body wash, to keep his skin from drying out too much. He seemed to really enjoy it too. Yay! Because let me tell you, the first time I bathed him after his umbilicus fell off, he screamed the whole damn time! But now, he screams when I take him out of the bath. I don't entirely understand why - the bathroom where we bathe him is really warm, no drafts and he goes right into his hooded towel. Maybe he's just not ready to leave the bathtub yet? Maybe he's just like his momma and he wants a nice leisurely soak in the tub? Well, I'm not about to head down that road yet - I really don't want to clean poop out of the tub. Yes, I hear that eventually, every kid poops in the tub. Fine. I just don't want to have to cross that bridge just yet.
Anyway, I got him bathed and changed without a hitch. And as much as I hate Chad being gone and really wish that he was here to help me right now, I feel pretty okay about this last week. I think it's been a good test run for when he's going to be gone again (end of January for about 10-14 days and then probably March or April for a good six months or more). I'm glad that I don't just have to go cold turkey on this whole fake-single-mom bit, and I still have LOADS of respect for anyone who is raising a child (or, gasp, CHILDREN) on their own. You are truly super stars!
Gads. Lastly, I would just like to say, I sufficiently scared the crap out of myself tonight. I sincerely enjoy watching shows like A Haunting, Ghost Lab, Ghost Whisperer, etc. Well, Friday night tv really sucks since Psych is on a mid-season break (and is moving to a new night anyway) and so is White Collar, so I was flipping through the channels and I saw The Haunted on Animal Planet. Usually these shows don't bother me all that much. But this one in particular focuses on the effects of hauntings on pets. WTF. I don't believe my house is haunted (I do believe I've been in a legitimate haunted house before, I can write more about that another time), but I do believe that my cats are crazy. For pete's sake, I have a cat on Prozac! But it was eerie to here these people's descriptions of their pets behavior in the midst of the alleged hauntings. I don't know - I can't really put my finger on it. But suffice it to say I then watched an hour of That 70s Show and then kind of got roped into watching the first part of an informercial for this that kind of intrigued me in order to kind of clear my head.
Sidenote: That body shaper is intriguing because of the ad - I don't really think I need one just yet. But I'm totally a sucker for advertising, I've decided. It's a good thing I don't have an inexhaustible account - I'd buy tons of useless junk, I'm sure. Thank God I'm smarter than that and don't have throwaway money!
Okay, I have to go get wrist-deep in poopy and feed the baby. Good night all!
Friday, December 11, 2009
As Promised...
As promised long ago, I created a Photobucket account for the express purpose of sharing photos with all of you lovely people...
Here is the long-awaited link! First photos of Wylie
You can also purchase prints from Photobucket to be delivered to your house or to pick up at your local target. Although, according to my mom, it's cheaper to have the photos delivered to your house (9 cents/photo) than it is to pick them up at Target (20 cents/photo). I haven't tried to do any of that yet, so that's just what my mom has told me....
Enjoy!
PS - you may have also noticed the schmancy new slide show - enjoy it! (These are all the same photos available in the album thus far.)
Here is the long-awaited link! First photos of Wylie
You can also purchase prints from Photobucket to be delivered to your house or to pick up at your local target. Although, according to my mom, it's cheaper to have the photos delivered to your house (9 cents/photo) than it is to pick them up at Target (20 cents/photo). I haven't tried to do any of that yet, so that's just what my mom has told me....
Enjoy!
PS - you may have also noticed the schmancy new slide show - enjoy it! (These are all the same photos available in the album thus far.)
Quick journey through the thoughts of a harried woman...
So, I was reading my friend Kristi's blog and noticed that she had a list of freebies she got for her birthday recently. I thought, WTH, especially since Chad's going to be gone for my birthday again this year. So I created a junkmail account and signed up for a ton of free birthday offers! Among some of these are Red Robin, Old Navy, ColdStone, and Helzberg Diamonds! So I'll have to let you know how successful I was at gaining free stuff when my birthday rolls around (which, btw is May 28, in case you needed to add that to your calendar).
Anyway, Wylie is so adorable. But he's weird too, which I should have expected, especially because he's a combination of both Chad and myself. Ergo: WEIRD. For instance, when he's feeding, I'd say at least once a day he clamps down on the nipple, starts grunting and pulling his head away - with the nipple still in his mouth. So I unlatch him and put him up to my shoulder to burp him, but that's not what he wants either. I don't know - maybe he's just going nuts? It's so weird! And his smiles are so cute! Still trying to get one on film, but he's too fricking cute people.
Anyway, Wylie is so adorable. But he's weird too, which I should have expected, especially because he's a combination of both Chad and myself. Ergo: WEIRD. For instance, when he's feeding, I'd say at least once a day he clamps down on the nipple, starts grunting and pulling his head away - with the nipple still in his mouth. So I unlatch him and put him up to my shoulder to burp him, but that's not what he wants either. I don't know - maybe he's just going nuts? It's so weird! And his smiles are so cute! Still trying to get one on film, but he's too fricking cute people.
On a completely different note: I LOVE the pack'n'play! I finally, FINALLY put the batteries in the little electric things that come with it. One is a bassinet vibrator and the other is the controller for that/the sound maker. It totally keeps him from screaming when I put him back in it after a changing so I can wash my hands. And when he wakes up about 5 am just for kicks and giggles, I pretty much just have to pop his paci in his mouth, turn on the vibrator and it usually lulls him right back into oblivion. I'm TOTALLY kicking myself for not having done that earlier. It's for sure a godsend.
And tonight is going to be my first experience bathing the boy by myself. Should be a good time all around. If I remember, I'll maybe post about that later.
Lastly, I'd like to apologize for the grotesquely unorganized, stream-of-consciousness posts lately. But if you've ever been in my shoes (i.e. New Mother), you know how it is. Deal. :) Happy Friday!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Some Observations from the Other Side
ONE
I finally changed my blog picture. Yes, I know it's now six weeks old. But that's the best I can do because blogspot is being weird and won't import a photo from facebook that I wanted to use, so I had to make do with one that Chad had sent me and I have already uploaded to my computer and exported for use online. I STILL don't know where my camera charger is (I finally caved to Chad pressuring me and have agreed to just get a new one, even though I still like my old one). I do have some photos in my inbox from my mom from when they were visiting, but frankly, I haven't uploaded or exported those yet.
TWO
I have a profound new respect for single mothers. Holy shit. Chad left on Sunday for WA and will be there until the 19th. Sunday went alright, but Monday. People, Monday sucked. I ate 1.5 meals. THAT'S IT. I was starving, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was then that Wylie refused to actually sleep Monday night (or was it Sunday night? I don't even remember now). I think I got a solid 45 minutes at a time. Sigh. Things are better now. Yesterday I was able to put him in his bassinet twice in order to quick inhale some waffles and then get dinner started. Today, I'm on my third time with him sleeping in his bassinet. But I still cannot wait for Chad to get home.
THREE
On the 19th, Chad gets home, his mom flies in, and our friends Mike and Saranya arrive as well for a visit. They're all flying in to Denver: Chad first, his mom an hour later, and then Mike and Saranya about an hour and a half after that. So Chad is going to hang out until everyone arrives. Which means that over this next week and a half that is left while Chad is gone, I have to somehow make sure that house stays in company ready condition. Right.
FOUR
Wylie is finally growing. Well, not that he wasn't before, but it's a palpable growth now. At first, the newborn onesies were getting tight in the crotch area, so I decided it was time to start using the 3 mos. onesies. Well, today, he wore his first complete outfit in the 3 mos. size. It's adorable - it's one that Sharon (MIL) bought for him.
FIVE
The last time I shaved my legs was in August. It just got too hard to shave them. I kept telling myself, once I have the baby, then I'll be able to shave them. Yeah, right. I don't even get to wash my face twice a day every day. I will just say this: I'm at Man Status. Ew.
SIX
As much as I want Chad to come home, it's so nice to have the bed to myself and not have to worry about whether he gets back to sleep okay when Wylie wakes up for a nighttime feeding. Calvin likes it too. Silly cat resumes sleeping with me while Chad's gone.
SEVEN
I have my six week postpartum checkup next week. So far, I'm feeling pretty good about things. Yes, I'm tired. Duh. I love my baby and feel close to him. (BTW: he smiled at me for the first time yesterday. I thought I was going to melt, people!) I feel pretty okay about my postpartum body (though my stomach looks like crepe paper and I sincerely vow that my midriff will never again see the light of day in public) - I am already weighing less than I was when I first got pregnant (at least that was the case the last time I was weighed at the doctors). Chad helps around the house as much as he can. Though, I will say that I really, really miss my family and friends from back home. I kind of feel like the pregnancy totally embittered me toward Colorado. Yes, it's pretty here and I do like it, but I really just feel pretty resentful toward Colorado a lot of the time now. I hope that passes some - spending the next three to four years feeling like this is going to be rough.
Alright, the baby is stirring, so I must be off. But I just wanted to update some :)
And here are some more photos....
This is a blanket sleeper that Grandma Sharon bought for him. She loved this one (it was in the box of clothes she mailed to us) - it was her favorite.
In most of these next pictures, he's still jaundiced, so you can tell these are older. These are when he's between 1 week and 3 weeks of age...
I finally changed my blog picture. Yes, I know it's now six weeks old. But that's the best I can do because blogspot is being weird and won't import a photo from facebook that I wanted to use, so I had to make do with one that Chad had sent me and I have already uploaded to my computer and exported for use online. I STILL don't know where my camera charger is (I finally caved to Chad pressuring me and have agreed to just get a new one, even though I still like my old one). I do have some photos in my inbox from my mom from when they were visiting, but frankly, I haven't uploaded or exported those yet.
TWO
I have a profound new respect for single mothers. Holy shit. Chad left on Sunday for WA and will be there until the 19th. Sunday went alright, but Monday. People, Monday sucked. I ate 1.5 meals. THAT'S IT. I was starving, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was then that Wylie refused to actually sleep Monday night (or was it Sunday night? I don't even remember now). I think I got a solid 45 minutes at a time. Sigh. Things are better now. Yesterday I was able to put him in his bassinet twice in order to quick inhale some waffles and then get dinner started. Today, I'm on my third time with him sleeping in his bassinet. But I still cannot wait for Chad to get home.
THREE
On the 19th, Chad gets home, his mom flies in, and our friends Mike and Saranya arrive as well for a visit. They're all flying in to Denver: Chad first, his mom an hour later, and then Mike and Saranya about an hour and a half after that. So Chad is going to hang out until everyone arrives. Which means that over this next week and a half that is left while Chad is gone, I have to somehow make sure that house stays in company ready condition. Right.
FOUR
Wylie is finally growing. Well, not that he wasn't before, but it's a palpable growth now. At first, the newborn onesies were getting tight in the crotch area, so I decided it was time to start using the 3 mos. onesies. Well, today, he wore his first complete outfit in the 3 mos. size. It's adorable - it's one that Sharon (MIL) bought for him.
FIVE
The last time I shaved my legs was in August. It just got too hard to shave them. I kept telling myself, once I have the baby, then I'll be able to shave them. Yeah, right. I don't even get to wash my face twice a day every day. I will just say this: I'm at Man Status. Ew.
SIX
As much as I want Chad to come home, it's so nice to have the bed to myself and not have to worry about whether he gets back to sleep okay when Wylie wakes up for a nighttime feeding. Calvin likes it too. Silly cat resumes sleeping with me while Chad's gone.
SEVEN
I have my six week postpartum checkup next week. So far, I'm feeling pretty good about things. Yes, I'm tired. Duh. I love my baby and feel close to him. (BTW: he smiled at me for the first time yesterday. I thought I was going to melt, people!) I feel pretty okay about my postpartum body (though my stomach looks like crepe paper and I sincerely vow that my midriff will never again see the light of day in public) - I am already weighing less than I was when I first got pregnant (at least that was the case the last time I was weighed at the doctors). Chad helps around the house as much as he can. Though, I will say that I really, really miss my family and friends from back home. I kind of feel like the pregnancy totally embittered me toward Colorado. Yes, it's pretty here and I do like it, but I really just feel pretty resentful toward Colorado a lot of the time now. I hope that passes some - spending the next three to four years feeling like this is going to be rough.
Alright, the baby is stirring, so I must be off. But I just wanted to update some :)
And here are some more photos....
In most of these next pictures, he's still jaundiced, so you can tell these are older. These are when he's between 1 week and 3 weeks of age...
He's so precious! And I love the faces that he makes!
Monday, November 30, 2009
4 Weeks Already?!
Wow. I can hardly believe that it's been four weeks since I went to the hospital to have Wylie. We are so blessed to have our little boy.
Meanwhile, I've been trying to figure out how to get things done during the day with Wylie while Chad's at work. I just got my Moby wrap today and tried it out - felt a little awkward trying to wrap that much fabric around myself, but it felt pretty okay when I got Wylie settled into it to see how it would work out. It's going to take a couple more times before I feel completely comfortable with it, but I'm pretty excited about it!
We had a great Thanksgiving with my parents here. I used one of those Turkey bags to cook the turkey and it was SUPER moist! It went well with the little guy and getting the dinner ready, but of course, I have my parents to thank for that. They've been so helpful being here and taking care of the baby so Chad and I can get things done.
I'm really going to miss them when they leave either Wednesday or Thursday. And then Chad leaves Sunday for 11 days. Sigh. Oh well - such is life! Got to go change and feed the boy then get dinner started. I'll try to post again soon!
Meanwhile, I've been trying to figure out how to get things done during the day with Wylie while Chad's at work. I just got my Moby wrap today and tried it out - felt a little awkward trying to wrap that much fabric around myself, but it felt pretty okay when I got Wylie settled into it to see how it would work out. It's going to take a couple more times before I feel completely comfortable with it, but I'm pretty excited about it!
We had a great Thanksgiving with my parents here. I used one of those Turkey bags to cook the turkey and it was SUPER moist! It went well with the little guy and getting the dinner ready, but of course, I have my parents to thank for that. They've been so helpful being here and taking care of the baby so Chad and I can get things done.
I'm really going to miss them when they leave either Wednesday or Thursday. And then Chad leaves Sunday for 11 days. Sigh. Oh well - such is life! Got to go change and feed the boy then get dinner started. I'll try to post again soon!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Forgive me, Internet, as I have been remiss!
So, as you are no doubt aware by now - I had the baby. :)
Ok, now that I dropped the big piece of news, let me write you up his birth story. On Friday, October 30, I went in to Maternal Fetal Medicine for my routine non-stress test and modified bio-physical profile (read: they strapped me to monitors and checked my blood pressure). Well, over the last few weeks, my BP had been rising; I've always had relatively low BP, so this was pretty concerning for me. Well, on the 30th, my BP at the first go was 160/110. I also woke up that morning with a headache that two Tylenol never even touched. The nurse flipped me onto my side, turned down the lights and just had me close my eyes for a little bit before taking it again. It was still high. So she waited until almost the end of my 20 minutes NST and then took it again. When it remained high, she informed me that she would "have to tell on [me]." Sigh. So she went and talked to one of the three docs in MFM and they decided that I should go over to L&D triage to be monitored for a while. They also (of course) wanted me to pee in a cup over there. At this point, they were only mildly worried about pre-eclampsia as I hadn't had any protein in my urine before, but they were checking nonetheless.
Chad was out in Florissant for some training, so he was (conservatively estimating) about an hour and a half away. Since I didn't want to alarm him over nothing, I decided not to tell him that they were monitoring me. I figured that if they just sent me home, it was no harm, no foul, but if they decided to keep me, well, I could call him then. Fast forward an hour and half of having my blood pressure taken every 15 minutes and peeing 3 times: my blood pressure readings were all over the place. At that point, they decided to admit me for observation in the Women's Pavilion. I also (joy) got to partake in a 24-hour urine collection. Sigh. So I called Chad and tried to reassure him that everything was okay. Of course, he left immediately to come back to the Springs and was a nervous wreck. The Women's Pavilion was pretty nice, and they gave me vicodin for my headache (thank God), though it didn't really work until I got the second dose. Again, they had to monitor my BP, but they didn't have to do it every 15 minutes. But still - have you ever tried to sleep with a BP cuff on?? NOT FUN. And of course, they came in and woke me up at 4 am to get a blood sample.
In the morning, Dr. Klein came in and talked with me. She said that if they found any protein in my urine, they would begin induction that evening. At the end of the day, there wasn't any protein in my urine, so they released me home on bed rest. OMG. Bed rest is awful. I have no idea how those women last months on bed rest. I was on bed rest for all of two and a half days and I wanted to kill myself. NOT FUN. Dr. Klein instructed me to call Monday morning to schedule my induction.
Now, let me pause here. I did not want to be induced. I had heard no real positives to endorse induction, so that's where I stood on that issue. But with my blood pressure being so erratic and high, it was more stressful on the baby than an induction would be. Now, I might be stubborn (okay, okay, I AM stubborn), but I'm not stupid. I didn't want my baby to be distressed.
So I called Monday morning and they said that I would need to call L&D that evening at 8 pm to make sure that they had a bed available for my 9 pm induction. Wow. Okay. So I called at 8 pm and sure enough, they have a bed. At this point, I was a ball of anxious energy. Chad gathered the bags and went out to the Rav, only to discover that the battery was dead. Damn. So we get out the jumper cables and leave his truck running for 35 minutes, trying to charge the dead battery on the Rav - to no avail! Finally, I tell Chad to just take me into the hospital in the truck and he can deal with the dead battery later (we wound up having to buy a new one, it was that dead). So we get to the hospital almost an hour after my scheduled induction time and they take me to my L&D room. Bed wasn't as nice as the ones in the WP, but the ones in L&D have to break down. You know, for when you have the baby. So go figure that they're not as comfortable.
So about 10:30 that evening (mind you, this is Monday, November 2), they administer the first dose of cytotec. (It ripens the cervix and promotes the inital dilatation.) It's a vaginal suppository, so you have to lie prone for quite some time after they place it, hence why my doctor scheduled my induction to begin at night. God bless intelligent doctors! They then administered the next dose 3 hours later and a third dose 3 hours after that. By 7 am, they decided that they would begin a pitocin drip (a synthetic oxytocin, the chemical your body releases to start actual contractions) via IV. I was feeling NOTHING. I thought - this is a breeze! I progress through a few more centimeters of dilatation in blissful ignorance. Then, at 10:30 am, they decided to break my water. (Side note: weirdest feeling ever!) The contractions started to feel a bit stronger after that, but not really. An hour later, they were upping my pitocin to really get the contractions going.
Everything was progressing along well enough until the noticed that with my contractions getting stronger, my blood pressure was creeping up, and, scary part, staying up between contractions. My nurse came in and said that she knew I was hoping for a pain-med free labor and explained about my BP. She said that if I wanted, I could try a half dose of fentanyl to take the edge of the contractions, which should allow my body to relax between them and hence reduce the stress on the baby. So I consented to a half dose. About an hour and a half later, the fentanyl didn't feel like it had worked at all and I was starting to get that pounding BP headache again. I caved. I asked for the epidural. (They also gave me the rest of the fentanyl dose, as they would just have to toss it.)
I know I said I didn't want an epidural, but when they tell you that your body is creating stress on your baby, you tend to forget about petty fears, like getting a needle stuck in your back. Getting the epidural HURT. VERY BADLY. But I was able to sleep some after receiving it, which helped me to relax and lower my BP. (Just for kicks and giggles, I want to throw out there that my nurse said I was handling the contraction pain very well before they medicated me, so I felt proud of that.) And even though I had a dead leg from the epi, it was totally worth it. (I have to admit that next time, I'm probably just going to get the epi.) About 8 pm, the contractions were soo painful that I had to hit the button on my epi - and it didn't work. It had run out. It took them a little time to get another bag of the meds, so I was back to feeling those contractions (not so fun). At 9 pm, they checked me and said that I was at 8, almost 9, centimeters. I was still waiting for the epi to kick back in and was pretty much mindless of everything else. Fifteen minutes later, I was frantically paging the nurse because I HAD TO PUSH. She checked me and was surprised that I was right! She had me practice push but quickly stopped me. Apparently, I practiced too well. They were rushing to page the doctor to come in to my room. They quickly broke down the bed and had me scoot down to the bottom. Twenty-seven minutes and one episiotomy later, I gave birth to our son, Wylie Joseph Thorner at 9:48 pm on November 3, 2009. He was 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 20 3/4 inches long. He was breathing well on his own and crying strongly, so they didn't need to take him to the NICU.
Ok, now that I dropped the big piece of news, let me write you up his birth story. On Friday, October 30, I went in to Maternal Fetal Medicine for my routine non-stress test and modified bio-physical profile (read: they strapped me to monitors and checked my blood pressure). Well, over the last few weeks, my BP had been rising; I've always had relatively low BP, so this was pretty concerning for me. Well, on the 30th, my BP at the first go was 160/110. I also woke up that morning with a headache that two Tylenol never even touched. The nurse flipped me onto my side, turned down the lights and just had me close my eyes for a little bit before taking it again. It was still high. So she waited until almost the end of my 20 minutes NST and then took it again. When it remained high, she informed me that she would "have to tell on [me]." Sigh. So she went and talked to one of the three docs in MFM and they decided that I should go over to L&D triage to be monitored for a while. They also (of course) wanted me to pee in a cup over there. At this point, they were only mildly worried about pre-eclampsia as I hadn't had any protein in my urine before, but they were checking nonetheless.
Chad was out in Florissant for some training, so he was (conservatively estimating) about an hour and a half away. Since I didn't want to alarm him over nothing, I decided not to tell him that they were monitoring me. I figured that if they just sent me home, it was no harm, no foul, but if they decided to keep me, well, I could call him then. Fast forward an hour and half of having my blood pressure taken every 15 minutes and peeing 3 times: my blood pressure readings were all over the place. At that point, they decided to admit me for observation in the Women's Pavilion. I also (joy) got to partake in a 24-hour urine collection. Sigh. So I called Chad and tried to reassure him that everything was okay. Of course, he left immediately to come back to the Springs and was a nervous wreck. The Women's Pavilion was pretty nice, and they gave me vicodin for my headache (thank God), though it didn't really work until I got the second dose. Again, they had to monitor my BP, but they didn't have to do it every 15 minutes. But still - have you ever tried to sleep with a BP cuff on?? NOT FUN. And of course, they came in and woke me up at 4 am to get a blood sample.
In the morning, Dr. Klein came in and talked with me. She said that if they found any protein in my urine, they would begin induction that evening. At the end of the day, there wasn't any protein in my urine, so they released me home on bed rest. OMG. Bed rest is awful. I have no idea how those women last months on bed rest. I was on bed rest for all of two and a half days and I wanted to kill myself. NOT FUN. Dr. Klein instructed me to call Monday morning to schedule my induction.
Now, let me pause here. I did not want to be induced. I had heard no real positives to endorse induction, so that's where I stood on that issue. But with my blood pressure being so erratic and high, it was more stressful on the baby than an induction would be. Now, I might be stubborn (okay, okay, I AM stubborn), but I'm not stupid. I didn't want my baby to be distressed.
So I called Monday morning and they said that I would need to call L&D that evening at 8 pm to make sure that they had a bed available for my 9 pm induction. Wow. Okay. So I called at 8 pm and sure enough, they have a bed. At this point, I was a ball of anxious energy. Chad gathered the bags and went out to the Rav, only to discover that the battery was dead. Damn. So we get out the jumper cables and leave his truck running for 35 minutes, trying to charge the dead battery on the Rav - to no avail! Finally, I tell Chad to just take me into the hospital in the truck and he can deal with the dead battery later (we wound up having to buy a new one, it was that dead). So we get to the hospital almost an hour after my scheduled induction time and they take me to my L&D room. Bed wasn't as nice as the ones in the WP, but the ones in L&D have to break down. You know, for when you have the baby. So go figure that they're not as comfortable.
So about 10:30 that evening (mind you, this is Monday, November 2), they administer the first dose of cytotec. (It ripens the cervix and promotes the inital dilatation.) It's a vaginal suppository, so you have to lie prone for quite some time after they place it, hence why my doctor scheduled my induction to begin at night. God bless intelligent doctors! They then administered the next dose 3 hours later and a third dose 3 hours after that. By 7 am, they decided that they would begin a pitocin drip (a synthetic oxytocin, the chemical your body releases to start actual contractions) via IV. I was feeling NOTHING. I thought - this is a breeze! I progress through a few more centimeters of dilatation in blissful ignorance. Then, at 10:30 am, they decided to break my water. (Side note: weirdest feeling ever!) The contractions started to feel a bit stronger after that, but not really. An hour later, they were upping my pitocin to really get the contractions going.
Everything was progressing along well enough until the noticed that with my contractions getting stronger, my blood pressure was creeping up, and, scary part, staying up between contractions. My nurse came in and said that she knew I was hoping for a pain-med free labor and explained about my BP. She said that if I wanted, I could try a half dose of fentanyl to take the edge of the contractions, which should allow my body to relax between them and hence reduce the stress on the baby. So I consented to a half dose. About an hour and a half later, the fentanyl didn't feel like it had worked at all and I was starting to get that pounding BP headache again. I caved. I asked for the epidural. (They also gave me the rest of the fentanyl dose, as they would just have to toss it.)
I know I said I didn't want an epidural, but when they tell you that your body is creating stress on your baby, you tend to forget about petty fears, like getting a needle stuck in your back. Getting the epidural HURT. VERY BADLY. But I was able to sleep some after receiving it, which helped me to relax and lower my BP. (Just for kicks and giggles, I want to throw out there that my nurse said I was handling the contraction pain very well before they medicated me, so I felt proud of that.) And even though I had a dead leg from the epi, it was totally worth it. (I have to admit that next time, I'm probably just going to get the epi.) About 8 pm, the contractions were soo painful that I had to hit the button on my epi - and it didn't work. It had run out. It took them a little time to get another bag of the meds, so I was back to feeling those contractions (not so fun). At 9 pm, they checked me and said that I was at 8, almost 9, centimeters. I was still waiting for the epi to kick back in and was pretty much mindless of everything else. Fifteen minutes later, I was frantically paging the nurse because I HAD TO PUSH. She checked me and was surprised that I was right! She had me practice push but quickly stopped me. Apparently, I practiced too well. They were rushing to page the doctor to come in to my room. They quickly broke down the bed and had me scoot down to the bottom. Twenty-seven minutes and one episiotomy later, I gave birth to our son, Wylie Joseph Thorner at 9:48 pm on November 3, 2009. He was 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 20 3/4 inches long. He was breathing well on his own and crying strongly, so they didn't need to take him to the NICU.
The next morning, they took Wylie to give him a chest xray to check on the CCAM. It was not present on the xray. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE CCAM IS GONE. In fact, it is fairly common that the smaller CCAMs do not present on an xray. What this does mean is that at about 3 mos of age, Wylie will go in for a CT scan of his chest. IF the CT scan is clean, we will adopt a monitoring attitude (this is very unlikely, but not improbable). If the CT scan shows the CCAM (which is most likely will), we will begin to discuss a course of action for surgery. As I have stated before, not removing the CCAM is not an option as they have a tendency to turn malignant later in life. But for now, he is having no problems breathing and is a happy baby boy. We couldn't love him more!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ugh!
So, today I went for my 38 week check, a growth ultrasound, and my non-stress test. First, let me just tell you all right off the bat - there has been no progress since last week. I'm still 1-2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. He's still head down, and somehow, he's managed to get his foot up by his face. Don't ask me how. Apparently, both of his feet are right up there. Maybe we should've nicknamed him Bean this whole time instead of Munchkin if he's going to be all curled up like that.
Now, and this might be the *best* part (that's sarcasm): the u/s tech was taking the measurements on the ultrasound and when she measured his head, she says (and I quote): "Wow." Excuse me, what? Apparently, our son has quite the dome on him. She said that is the major reason why he's measuring 7 pounds 2 ounces. Yikes. So sometime in the next two weeks (please GOD!!!) I'm going to be pushing a 7+ pound kid with a large dome out of my body. Great.
Speaking of, since there were no new changes in the cervix, induction talk has been tabled (not that I was really considering it - I haven't heard many positive experiences of it). And it's grey outside right now and apparently we're supposed to get enough snow tomorrow and Thursday to pretty much snow us in.
Oh, and I got my H1N1 vaccine today, which means tomorrow I can look forward to not just snow but a bruised and sore upper left arm.
In the words of Pepe Le Pew: Le sigh.
Now, and this might be the *best* part (that's sarcasm): the u/s tech was taking the measurements on the ultrasound and when she measured his head, she says (and I quote): "Wow." Excuse me, what? Apparently, our son has quite the dome on him. She said that is the major reason why he's measuring 7 pounds 2 ounces. Yikes. So sometime in the next two weeks (please GOD!!!) I'm going to be pushing a 7+ pound kid with a large dome out of my body. Great.
Speaking of, since there were no new changes in the cervix, induction talk has been tabled (not that I was really considering it - I haven't heard many positive experiences of it). And it's grey outside right now and apparently we're supposed to get enough snow tomorrow and Thursday to pretty much snow us in.
Oh, and I got my H1N1 vaccine today, which means tomorrow I can look forward to not just snow but a bruised and sore upper left arm.
In the words of Pepe Le Pew: Le sigh.
Friday, October 23, 2009
It's been an age!
Yes, yes, I know. It's been an age since I've written - get over it! LOL
Let's see - well, I guess the most exciting news for me: I'm currently 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced (this is as of Tuesday, which was three weeks from my EDD), so that's definitely good news. The doctor said I could go at any time, but more realistically that I won't make it to my due date. She also said that they would consider inducing me at 39 weeks if I was interested and my cervix continues to cooperate. HOWEVER - I do not plan to be induced. I have not heard many pleasant experiences from people who have been induced, so I'm more inclined to let nature take its course. Don't get me wrong - I am SUPER uncomfortable and would like to no longer have a time-share situation occurring with my body. BUT - I would like to let Munchkin come on his own. (Hahahaha - are you all getting sick of hearing Munchkin? Want to know the name? Well, soon, my friends, very soon!! Hahahahahaha)
Meanwhile, it's been great having Chad home again this week. I hate it when he has to go away - thank God we're now looking at closer to February for the next time he will be gone (6 mos.). Other than that, there are 11 days in December when he'll have some kind of training to go for, but it's looking like my mother-in-law will be here during that time, so I'm not too worried about wrangling the baby all by my lonesome then. Speaking of my mother-in-law - she went to the outlet malls by her house last week and bought a bunch of baby clothes. Now, let me clarify here - by bunch, I mean that the box that arrived in the mail yesterday weighed 15 lbs. FIFTEEN POUNDS!!! It took me almost 20 minutes to cut off the tags and remove the size stickers. But we needed the clothes, so I'm VERY VERY grateful! She also bought us a 7-pack of pooh bibs (super cute!) and some socks and hats. Speaking of hats, anyone have a simple (and I want to emphasize simple) but cute knitting pattern for baby hats? I think I'd like to buy some baby yarn just knit up a few hats for him to wear - so many of the hats we have now are part of an ensemble - it'd be nice just to have some general-looking ones, you know? Like maybe a taupe-colored one, a light blue one, a white one, etc. She also bought us a CD of AC/DC tunes reconfigured as lullabies. I have yet to listen to it, but I almost died when I saw it. I showed it to Chad and he cracked up as well. I guess our son isn't going to be stuck listening to "The Wheels On the Bus", lol.
My mom also bought us a ton more stuff (God bless Grandmas!!), most notably one of those Bundle Mes to keep the little man warm on his way home from the hospital. She also bought us more of the breast pump supplies, so I'm hoping that we get the breastpump! LOL
I'm really looking forward to my parents coming out here to visit. Chad just finished painting the spare bedroom this week, so the guest room is completely finished now! Although, I think I'm going to need to find a new lamp to put in there as the one that is in there now kind of hums. I'm not sure why, but it would get annoying, so that's something I'll need to look into doing and soon. And after my parents, Chad's mom will be coming out for a week before his dad comes out and joins us. It's going to be nice to see everyone and to have help with the baby as well.
Mostly, at this point, I just keep thinking about the baby. I can see him in parts of our lives, but I know that I have NO IDEA how much our lives are really going to change. It's weird - I have the pack-n-play set up next to the bed (it's currently loaded full of my craft bag and pillows to keep Hobbes from laying in it - I felt bad for that because she looked so cute, but I didn't want her thinking that she could lay in there - it's for the baby, afterall), we have the swing all set up, though it's currently in the formal living room because we don't really know where else to put it. But it's hard to imagine him actually being here. I wonder all the time how the cats are going to react. I wonder how sleep deprived we'll actually be. I wonder how long it's going to take Chad to get used to changing a diaper (he's never changed one before!). I wonder if our little man is going to be a quiet little guy or if he's going to be a world-class screamer. So many things to think about! And (hopefully) only 3 weeks or less left!!
Oh, and in case you're wondering, we're probably not going to call anyone while I'm in labor. It's not like anyone is coming up to the hospital to visit while I'm there, so you'll all probably just wait to hear until after our son is here. And frankly, we'll call my parents and Chad's parents - they will be responsible for disseminating the information from there. Okay, I think that's a pretty fair recap for the last week (or so). Mostly, it's jumbled and garbled just like my mind lately. Enjoy!
Let's see - well, I guess the most exciting news for me: I'm currently 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced (this is as of Tuesday, which was three weeks from my EDD), so that's definitely good news. The doctor said I could go at any time, but more realistically that I won't make it to my due date. She also said that they would consider inducing me at 39 weeks if I was interested and my cervix continues to cooperate. HOWEVER - I do not plan to be induced. I have not heard many pleasant experiences from people who have been induced, so I'm more inclined to let nature take its course. Don't get me wrong - I am SUPER uncomfortable and would like to no longer have a time-share situation occurring with my body. BUT - I would like to let Munchkin come on his own. (Hahahaha - are you all getting sick of hearing Munchkin? Want to know the name? Well, soon, my friends, very soon!! Hahahahahaha)
Meanwhile, it's been great having Chad home again this week. I hate it when he has to go away - thank God we're now looking at closer to February for the next time he will be gone (6 mos.). Other than that, there are 11 days in December when he'll have some kind of training to go for, but it's looking like my mother-in-law will be here during that time, so I'm not too worried about wrangling the baby all by my lonesome then. Speaking of my mother-in-law - she went to the outlet malls by her house last week and bought a bunch of baby clothes. Now, let me clarify here - by bunch, I mean that the box that arrived in the mail yesterday weighed 15 lbs. FIFTEEN POUNDS!!! It took me almost 20 minutes to cut off the tags and remove the size stickers. But we needed the clothes, so I'm VERY VERY grateful! She also bought us a 7-pack of pooh bibs (super cute!) and some socks and hats. Speaking of hats, anyone have a simple (and I want to emphasize simple) but cute knitting pattern for baby hats? I think I'd like to buy some baby yarn just knit up a few hats for him to wear - so many of the hats we have now are part of an ensemble - it'd be nice just to have some general-looking ones, you know? Like maybe a taupe-colored one, a light blue one, a white one, etc. She also bought us a CD of AC/DC tunes reconfigured as lullabies. I have yet to listen to it, but I almost died when I saw it. I showed it to Chad and he cracked up as well. I guess our son isn't going to be stuck listening to "The Wheels On the Bus", lol.
My mom also bought us a ton more stuff (God bless Grandmas!!), most notably one of those Bundle Mes to keep the little man warm on his way home from the hospital. She also bought us more of the breast pump supplies, so I'm hoping that we get the breastpump! LOL
I'm really looking forward to my parents coming out here to visit. Chad just finished painting the spare bedroom this week, so the guest room is completely finished now! Although, I think I'm going to need to find a new lamp to put in there as the one that is in there now kind of hums. I'm not sure why, but it would get annoying, so that's something I'll need to look into doing and soon. And after my parents, Chad's mom will be coming out for a week before his dad comes out and joins us. It's going to be nice to see everyone and to have help with the baby as well.
Mostly, at this point, I just keep thinking about the baby. I can see him in parts of our lives, but I know that I have NO IDEA how much our lives are really going to change. It's weird - I have the pack-n-play set up next to the bed (it's currently loaded full of my craft bag and pillows to keep Hobbes from laying in it - I felt bad for that because she looked so cute, but I didn't want her thinking that she could lay in there - it's for the baby, afterall), we have the swing all set up, though it's currently in the formal living room because we don't really know where else to put it. But it's hard to imagine him actually being here. I wonder all the time how the cats are going to react. I wonder how sleep deprived we'll actually be. I wonder how long it's going to take Chad to get used to changing a diaper (he's never changed one before!). I wonder if our little man is going to be a quiet little guy or if he's going to be a world-class screamer. So many things to think about! And (hopefully) only 3 weeks or less left!!
Oh, and in case you're wondering, we're probably not going to call anyone while I'm in labor. It's not like anyone is coming up to the hospital to visit while I'm there, so you'll all probably just wait to hear until after our son is here. And frankly, we'll call my parents and Chad's parents - they will be responsible for disseminating the information from there. Okay, I think that's a pretty fair recap for the last week (or so). Mostly, it's jumbled and garbled just like my mind lately. Enjoy!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Maybe it's the hormones...
But I can't believe how selfish some people are being. I'm on babycenter.com's community boards and I got involved in this one conversation thread on changing hospital visitors policies, due to H1N1. Most hospitals in area with infection are changing their policies to limiting adult visitors and eliminating any visitors under 12 (or even 18 in some cases). There are all these women on this board saying that the hospital can get over it because they are bringing their kids in to see their new brother or sister. They're saying that the hospital should just trust that parents have taught their kids good hygiene. W T F?! Are you kidding me? I can't believe how selfish these women are being!!! Yes, I understand you want your kids to be part of this and to meet their new sibling, but seriously? You're going to risk my kid's health because you're a stupid Witch?! We already have a chance that our son is going to have to spend time in the NICU, but I swear to God, if some pushy, dumb WITCH causes my son to get sick because she demands that her kid be allowed up to the MBU, I'm going to go Witch-slap her. I'm not even joking. If some selfish woman causes my son to have to stay at the hospital when I'm being discharged, I'm going to lose my freaking mind.
I really hope that Memorial enforces this with an iron fist. The last thing I want to hear when I'm up in MBU is going to be someone else's snot-nosed brat screaming at the top of their lungs and coughing and smearing snot everywhere. Just leave your little one at home and deal. You're not special. You don't get to break the rules just because you're you. ARGH!! This is what's wrong with society today. This is why I wind up with students in my classroom who don't think the rules apply to them - because they learn from their parents at an early age that rules are for other people, but never for them. QUIT RUINING SOCIETY YOU SELFISH WITCHES!!!
I really hope that Memorial enforces this with an iron fist. The last thing I want to hear when I'm up in MBU is going to be someone else's snot-nosed brat screaming at the top of their lungs and coughing and smearing snot everywhere. Just leave your little one at home and deal. You're not special. You don't get to break the rules just because you're you. ARGH!! This is what's wrong with society today. This is why I wind up with students in my classroom who don't think the rules apply to them - because they learn from their parents at an early age that rules are for other people, but never for them. QUIT RUINING SOCIETY YOU SELFISH WITCHES!!!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Doctors' Appointments and IDIOTS
So today I had my doctors' appointments (more to come on the idiots). Munchkin is head down, which is a good thing because it seems like lately, every night, he moves down into my pelvis, only to return in the morning to kicking me in the ribs. I'm not joking - I feel like a little kid who has to pee. You know the kids I'm talking about. They stick their hand between their legs, cross their legs, and proceed to do the pee-pee dance. That's exactly how I feel every night. And it's not like I've been standing all evening when this happens. I'm usually hanging out on the couch with my feet up! Oh, and I may have reconsidered my stance on the epidural - considering that I've had a few actual painful contractions in the last couple of days. Sure, I've been feeling the Braxton-Hicks, but last night I had two that were eye-opening. LOL So anyway, I brought these two things up to the midwife during my OB check today, and she says, "Good." Good?? Excuse me? Good?? I feel like I'm literally going to sit on my son's head. Oh well, I guess, thinking rationally, or as rational as my pregnant brain will let me be, it is a good thing because my body is doing what its supposed to, but DUDE. IT'S SOOO WEIRD. Anyway, things are still looking good on the ultrasound (CCAM is still present but does not appear to be growing), and Munchkin is starting to fatten up nicely. Hahahaha. Little chunky monkey. I can't wait to see him!! Well, see him outside of my stomach and not on an ultrasound screen.
If you look closely in this one, you can see that he's sticking his tongue out just a little bit. :)
Okay, those are my warm fuzzies. :) Now, onto the idiots.
Idiot #1: The hospital valets. I had to wait 10 minutes in line behind a ton of cars; I tried to pull up and park it so that I could get out and get inside to my appointment. I get the car parked, and turn it off. Then this dumb blonde, after watching me sit in my car and then finally pull up and park it, comes over to me and asks me to move my car. Uhm, hi. YOU COULDN'T HAVE ASKED ME THAT BEFORE I MANEUVERED MYSELF OVER HERE???? ARGH!
Idiot #2: An entire family in the MFM waiting room. I come out to sit in the waiting room after my ultrasound while they prep the room for my non-stress test. The waiting room is full at this point, with the exception of two chairs. This entire STUPID family is spread around the waiting room, talking to each other. I had to sit next to the slow adult who kept exclaiming loudly that he wanted spaghetti and next to the matriarch who turned the tv to Roseanne. Really? Ew. I felt like I needed to wash.
Idiot #3: A woman in the waiting area talking loudly enough on her cell phone for the people of Cuba to hear her. Oh, and she cut in line, in front of me, to turn in her valet ticket. She also STOOD in front of perfectly empty seats to sit in in the waiting area. She stood there blocking seats that people, like me, could have sat in while waiting. I had to listen to that stupid woman talking on her cell phone, excuse me, I meant YELLING on her cell phone, for 15 minutes while I waited for my car. She was talking about how her husband had just gotten orders for here at Fort Carson (they must have just PCSd here) and how if he went to one unit he would be leaving for Afghanistan in a week but if he went to another he would be leaving for Afghanistan in a year. And God help me for it, but I hoped that her husband was leaving for Afghanistan next week. I know that's terrible of me. But I was THISCLOSE to shoving her cell phone down her throat.
I swear, I can pinpoint the decline of American society on politicians. You see, politicians mistakenly see idiots as an endangered species which needs to be protected by legislation. Take, for instance, seat belt laws. What is the point of seatbelt laws? Why, to save lives, you answer. Yes. But really, as a literate and learned adult, do you really need a LAW to tell you that you should wear your seatbelt? Probably not. However, Bucktooth Billy does need a seatbelt law to tell him to buckle up. So he puts his seatbelt on when he climbs behind the wheel of his '91 Ford pickup, drunk. He crashes into a tree on his way home from the local bar, harming no one. Since he was wearing his seatbelt, he didn't go flying through the windshield and crack his head open, killing himself. Now, he's a death-defying hero, and, well, Sally Jean can't help but adore him for being a "hero" so Bucktooth Billy knocks her up, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle of stupidity. See what I mean? These people are everywhere you look. We literate and learned adults would be much better off without all of these freaking idiots walking around. I urge you - survey your life and see how many people you think would still be alive if it weren't for Idiot-saving laws and norms in society.
Sorry, that's my rant against idiots. As a more pleasant parting thought, I just wanted to show you proof that my little furry boy, Calvin, is trying to cram in some last-minute quality time with his "Momma". It's almost like he knows his world is going to be turned upside-down inside of a month.
My poor Pooh Bear. I think he's really going to miss being a Momma's Boy when the Munchkin makes his debut. Hopefully he adjusts well and doesn't hate me afterward.
If you look closely in this one, you can see that he's sticking his tongue out just a little bit. :)
Okay, those are my warm fuzzies. :) Now, onto the idiots.
Idiot #1: The hospital valets. I had to wait 10 minutes in line behind a ton of cars; I tried to pull up and park it so that I could get out and get inside to my appointment. I get the car parked, and turn it off. Then this dumb blonde, after watching me sit in my car and then finally pull up and park it, comes over to me and asks me to move my car. Uhm, hi. YOU COULDN'T HAVE ASKED ME THAT BEFORE I MANEUVERED MYSELF OVER HERE???? ARGH!
Idiot #2: An entire family in the MFM waiting room. I come out to sit in the waiting room after my ultrasound while they prep the room for my non-stress test. The waiting room is full at this point, with the exception of two chairs. This entire STUPID family is spread around the waiting room, talking to each other. I had to sit next to the slow adult who kept exclaiming loudly that he wanted spaghetti and next to the matriarch who turned the tv to Roseanne. Really? Ew. I felt like I needed to wash.
Idiot #3: A woman in the waiting area talking loudly enough on her cell phone for the people of Cuba to hear her. Oh, and she cut in line, in front of me, to turn in her valet ticket. She also STOOD in front of perfectly empty seats to sit in in the waiting area. She stood there blocking seats that people, like me, could have sat in while waiting. I had to listen to that stupid woman talking on her cell phone, excuse me, I meant YELLING on her cell phone, for 15 minutes while I waited for my car. She was talking about how her husband had just gotten orders for here at Fort Carson (they must have just PCSd here) and how if he went to one unit he would be leaving for Afghanistan in a week but if he went to another he would be leaving for Afghanistan in a year. And God help me for it, but I hoped that her husband was leaving for Afghanistan next week. I know that's terrible of me. But I was THISCLOSE to shoving her cell phone down her throat.
I swear, I can pinpoint the decline of American society on politicians. You see, politicians mistakenly see idiots as an endangered species which needs to be protected by legislation. Take, for instance, seat belt laws. What is the point of seatbelt laws? Why, to save lives, you answer. Yes. But really, as a literate and learned adult, do you really need a LAW to tell you that you should wear your seatbelt? Probably not. However, Bucktooth Billy does need a seatbelt law to tell him to buckle up. So he puts his seatbelt on when he climbs behind the wheel of his '91 Ford pickup, drunk. He crashes into a tree on his way home from the local bar, harming no one. Since he was wearing his seatbelt, he didn't go flying through the windshield and crack his head open, killing himself. Now, he's a death-defying hero, and, well, Sally Jean can't help but adore him for being a "hero" so Bucktooth Billy knocks her up, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle of stupidity. See what I mean? These people are everywhere you look. We literate and learned adults would be much better off without all of these freaking idiots walking around. I urge you - survey your life and see how many people you think would still be alive if it weren't for Idiot-saving laws and norms in society.
Sorry, that's my rant against idiots. As a more pleasant parting thought, I just wanted to show you proof that my little furry boy, Calvin, is trying to cram in some last-minute quality time with his "Momma". It's almost like he knows his world is going to be turned upside-down inside of a month.
My poor Pooh Bear. I think he's really going to miss being a Momma's Boy when the Munchkin makes his debut. Hopefully he adjusts well and doesn't hate me afterward.
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