The Stealth Hippie

Our Yule card!

2011-11-03T22:55:00.001-04:00

Stationery card

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#1: Boo-beee!

2011-07-30T02:32:00.001-04:00

What's this? I'm actually getting around to posting about parenting?

Perish the thought. This post is probably just a vehicle for a semi-current, super-cute picture of my spawn. Or something like that.

Actually, I've been mulling about what to talk about first, and what information to put in here (and what references I want to use). So for the first post, ~~tonight~~ this morning, I want to ~~talk~~ write about breastfeeding. Links are mostly to kellymom.com - which is a great evidence-based site with breastfeeding information.

If you actually went and reviewed all of my posts here & on Facebook and the (verbal) comments I've made about breastfeeding, I'm not sure you'd get an overall positive review. I tend to complain about it. A lot. (~~And everything else~~.) Because something going wrong flippin' hurts. I don't balance out all the "If he wants to nurse for the fifth time in 2 hours I'm going to lose my shit" posts with the "I would not give this up for any amount of money, ever" feelings (which are much more frequent. Honestly).

I love breastfeeding. I love being able to soothe my kid, I love being able to fit into my pre-preggo jeans, and I love the little games we play while he nurses. (And the in-focus, up-close eye shots I can get while he's still for 30 seconds.)

It's late/early, I'm tired, and I've had a Kir (yum), so I'm just going to break this down into bullet points. Easy to write, easy to read - right? Here we go...

1- Fulfilling needs: Boobie juice has everything a kid needs for almost the entire first year of life. Scientists haven't even identified everything in breastmilk (true story). The composition of breastmilk changes throughout a feeding - watery foremilk quenches thirst, fatty hindmilk fills a kid up. Furthermore, the saliva in a baby's mouth communicates in real time with the mother's immune system, telling Mom what antibodies kiddo needs. (Yes. Awesome. I read the study, and now can't find the link. I'm working on it.)

When the kid turns a year old, boobs don't suddenly get stupid. Breastmilk is a very important source of calories & nutrients throughout toddlerhood. Toddlers are on the go. Constantly. Nursing is a great nutritional foundation, and a source of concentrated calories & fats for those little legs and minds. Hugely important when you consider some kids only eat peanut butter, chicken nuggets, juice, and bananas. Toddlers nurse less (generally speaking), and guess what - milk adapts. It's more concentrated. It has more immune factors.

And here I've just mentioned nutritional needs. Emotional needs are mentioned in #3.

2 - Duration: nursing for 1+ year is what the AAP recommends. 2+ years is what the WHO recommends. Anthropological studies point toward a biological (vs. cultural) weaning age of between 2.5 - 7 years, depending on what parameters are taken into account. (Parameters such as when permanent teeth erupt, reaching a certain percentage of adult weight, etc.) "Extended" nursing is the norm in most of the world. Americans call it 'extended' because - ew, boobies. Get that kid offa there. [Insert eye roll here.]

3 - Benefits: Surprise: oodles of health benefits for the kid. OODLES. Even(especially) past the first year - this link has an awesome list of references. Breastfeeding also has emotional and immunological benefits as well. Nursing is a great way to soothe everything from "crap! I crapped my pants, Ma!"(at any age, lol) to "I want to do this but I can't!" (as a toddler). Fell off the couch? Nurse for 5 minutes, and everything is right with the world. You cannot get the same results with a bottle. Sorry. (And yes, Cam can fall asleep without nursing. But we both (sssh!) like the quiet time, and he's getting the good stuff.)

If the benefits for the kid weren't enough, there are major health (and I would argue emotional, too) benefits for the mom, too: less chance of reproductive cancers; reduced risk of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis; decreased insulin requirements for diabetics; and lower body fat percentages (to name a few). I enjoy being able to eat cheesecake... a lot. ;)

#4 - Bonding: I obviously don't have anything to compare my current experience to, but I feel that nursing has really given us a deeper bond than we might otherwise have had. I think I'm much more empathetic now (esp. towards Cam, but in general too). I can speak from 21+ months experience - the bonding hormones are intense, amazing, and wonderful.

#5 - It's normal: Yep, formula was invented for a reason. No, not every mom can/will/wants to nurse her kid. But if you have the option at all... the alternative is paying $$$ for powder in a can that you then have to make your kid wait for once you realize s/he is hungry. At night especially (or in public, for that matter) - it's so much easier to just latch the kid on. (This is assuming you have a choice. And remember, adoptive mommas can breastfeed, too.)

Having thrown all of this out there, we've only had a handful of speed-bumps. Oversupply (for the first frakin' year) was dealt with by block nursing (nursing on one side only for a certain amount of time - so if Cam wanted to nurse 5 times in 2 hours, he got the same boob every time). A blocked duct (with mastitis, too!) happened around 18 months - just lots of expressing (by hand, because *of course* I was without a pump then) and staying hydrated. I managed both without getting outside help, but I also made it my business (& had time) to read a lot about breastfeeding beforehand (not to mention I joined an awesome mom group with like-minded mamas who know a TON). The amount of misinformation from the medical profession is staggering. I was told not to nurse for 24 hrs after an MRI. I knew better. I was told to supplement Cam with formula for jaundice - again, not correct. You just have to keep calm and carry on. :)

I've been pleasantly surprised at the lack of commenting on our breastfeeding in public. You can find all of these horror stories about being thrown out of places or having snide comments made TO your kids, but... a mall security guard told me once about how there were family restrooms just down the hall. That's been it. (Cam was 6 weeks old.) I would like to think Orlando's just an enlightened place... but I'm not delusional. (I hope. Much.) I think the vast majority of people don't even realize what we're doing. Because really, it's not being "whipped out". A nursing cover would bring waaaay more attention to what's going on.

So the above hopefully explains (to some degree) why we've been nursing up through now and will continue to for the foreseeable future. We've been very lucky. I can stay home with Cam, we've got a support system, and he's never had a problem latching. So many women have been led to believe it's an all-or-nothing thing - which makes me sad just to think about (meaning, if she has to formula-feed during the day and can't pump enough (pumping only gets 20% of the milk in the breast), then she can't nurse when she sees her kid).

Thank goodness Cam still calls it "na-na". If you point to a boob now, he says "boo-BEE".

It's only a matter of time...

Refocusing.

2011-03-08T01:30:00.002-05:00

So, I haven't updated in awhile. That's somewhat because Chucklebutt keeps me running around saying the same three things 80% of the day ("That's garbage! Yuck! Don't touch!", "That's the recycling! You can play with that!", and "Gentle pets, be gentle"... with a healthy dose of "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!"... in case you're interested).

It's also because I just got away from it. I've been working hard for awhile now to not spend so much time on a computer. (Thank goodness for the Gmail and Facebook Android apps. :) ) I don't think it's really healthy, and it takes away from my time with Monkey (and B). He's SO big and so LITTLE all at the same time. The realization got hammered home even more when I held a five-month-old over the weekend. Babies go through such rapid changes and if we're lucky, we notice half of them on days when we aren't too sleep-deprived or self-absorbed. Becoming a person is hard work.

I've read that when you're talking to a toddler, take whatever you think they'll understand and double it. At Cam's age, they pretty much understand most every simple sentence you say. (Mind. Boggling.) I can believe it.

B mentioned over the weekend (because he spent a LOT of time on Daddy Duty) how he's noticed the change that I've seen in Cam over the past week. He's more... aware, if that's the right word. You can see him thinking, putting the pieces together, and wanting to share with other people. It's very, very cool.

Like right before he signed "again" for the first time the other night. His face clouded for a few seconds, then he looked me in the eyes and smiled, jabbing his fist into his other palm. It took me a second, but then I said, "'Again'! You want to play with it AGAIN!" His grin was huge. HUGE.

Running around before Katie & Mike's wedding.

12 Feb 2011

---
I've also been wanting to explain some things. I have a (perhaps pathological) need to set an example. I'm painfully aware that most of my friends don't have kids yet. And I'm an opinionated person. *And* I have a serious case of xkcd 386, but also in real life. (That might be pathological, too.) :)

I want to explain why the heck I choose to parent the way I do, when bottle-feeding, stroller-ing and sleep-training seem so much more convenient. I'm going to break it up into a series of posts, to help me tease out my feelings and focus on one thing at a time. And without trying to be rant-y and defensive... I'll probably end up there, and I'm sorry. I'm working on being more laissez-faire with regard to parenting philosophies, but
habit energy lingers like a hard boiled egg fart.

Rock. Out.

2011-01-19T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today I watched Cam figure out how to drape play silks on the baby gate. And take them off. And drape them again. (You get the idea.)

It was really nice to be able to sit & see his brain at work. Less nice because I was sick on the couch.

He decided to entertain me by dancing to music on Grooveshark. (mostly AC/DC, but also Black-Eyed Peas. He also liked a song by Lily Allen.) Asking to listen to the radio is now a daily occurrence, and he sometimes surprises me by what he likes to rock out to (he's a head-bob type of dancer right now) - Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath, AC/DC, etc. He's hardcore. ;)

He keeps trying to eat rocks, too. (I thought we were past that, but apparently not.)

Reasons Why Chucklebutt is My Kid.

2010-12-21T23:18:00.000-05:00

1. He drools when he sleeps. (Especially naps.)
2. He loves pickled ginger.
3. The weird head shape.
4. Impatient. As. Hell.
5. He has perfected the "eat excrement & die" look.

Our Yule Card

2010-12-04T21:59:00.001-05:00

Glitter Glamour Joy Christmas Card

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The Glamorous Life of Mom.

2010-10-31T22:31:00.000-04:00

Note: I meant to post this about a week ago, but.... didn't happen. I'll try to update more in the next day or so.

So I thought I'd do an update on the whole EC/potty-training/a desperate bid to not scrape poo off Cam's butt 34543 times a week thing.

It's going alright. :) We got a little side-tracked last week, but the great thing about EC is the fluidity of it all. (Okay, bad writer. I didn't get that until I added the period. Sigh)

My big old 1-year-old(!!!) can now point to things and say "uhhh". (This is especially fun when he points at the kitchen island with 97423 items he could potentially want. Usually it's a banana. Sometimes it's a whackable chocolate orange.) He has not put 2 & 2 together and realized he can signal to go to the potty. Yet. YET.

The good news is that he goes potty now when we're out & about. We went out to dinner about 3 weeks ago with one of B's co-workers, and Cam started getting a little PO'ed. When I checked his diaper, he was dry. Put him back in the highchair, started giving him Cheerios again. He got a little more PO'ed. So I took him to the bathroom, plopped him on the edge of the sink, and ran the tap. 2 seconds later, he's going in the sink. A lot. Poor kid had to hold it while his momma connected the dots.

But man, was my Cheshire grin big when we walked out of there. Related PSA: don't drink out of public sinks.

Additionally, when we went to Epcot two weekends ago, he peed on the potty/in the sink three (3!) times. He also peed in his diaper three times. (One of which I knew he had to go, but we were on "The Land" ride, so there wasn't much I could do about it. :( ) I think it helped a lot that we were wearing him for 3/4 of the day... generally speaking, babies don't like to soil themselves while being worn (thank. goodness.). Shout-out to Epcot for having an awesome (if slightly outdated) Baby Care Center.

We got a toddler insert for the regular toilet, and he uses that to poo. Apparently he needs a handle or something, because when he does, he demands that I squat and give him a hug while he poos. (Yeah, you needed to know that.) He has never pooped on the little Baby Bjorn potty... I think the poo might be too close to him in the bowl or something.

I've been using a combination of 50% timing (hey, he hasn't been in 2 hrs, let's try now) and 50% Cam cuing (he's grabbing his diaper/grunting). He goes more often in the morning (which is apparently very common), so after lunchtime it's all downhill from there.

Things That Make Me Go "Arrrgh."

2010-09-30T17:14:00.002-04:00

Lovebug gunk on my car
Dirty dishes
My new doctor suggesting that A) I give my son Carnation Instant Breakfast and B) stop breastfeeding.

Now, if I come back deficient in some vitamins or something, that's one thing. And it will be addressed. But seriously? Stop doing something that significantly improves both his AND MY health in the long run?
What. The. Hell.

EDIT 8:40pm: I just looked up the ingredients in Instant Breakfast. Aspartame. Start your day with a hole-y brain, anyone?

Farmward Bound.

2010-09-24T21:47:00.000-04:00

We've already discussed this, and will NOT be circumcising any future son we may have. Wish I'd known this before...

Also, this next link is about 10 things you may not know about baby formula. The interesting part (or at least, interesting to me because I used to(/am starting to be again) sensitive to it) is that carrageenan is known to contain MSG or produce it during processing.

Mmmm, neurotoxins.

How soon can I move to that farm we're planning?

Dear Future Self. (Take Two: Revenge of the Giggles.)

2010-09-23T16:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Future Self,

I hope you're not still watching Stargate. Like seriously, woman, leave it alone. Daniel Jackson is not a real person, give it up.

If you're reading this, it means you're still alive. (Yay.)

Which brings me to my ~~I You~~ We-Better-Have-Done-This List:

I hope you're learned how to cut cheese properly. And make it. And no, I never use euphemisms, so you better have learned how to make cheddar that rocks my socks off. Please drop it off as soon as you get Mr. Fusion installed. Just be sure to sign an insert with it with someone's name whom we know - like our god-twin.

Kim rocks. You better have kept in touch with her, even if you've had to invest in Australian postage & currency with every scrap of your allowance because she's living in the outback and you have to grease the palm of the courier because he's a bit dodgy. Even if it's just to say, "Hi. Nothing new here. Brian's a nerd. Cam's an oinker. [insert teasing of future kid(s) here.] Garden's big. How's your internet? Any more tattoos? I like bread. Bye, I love yoooou..."

You better have hung on to Brian. 'Cause he's pretty darn nerdy, and I'm not sure where he'd end up if you cut him loose. Probably snapped up in an instant by some ho. Or a midget wrestler. Also, life would suck without his massages. Keep that in mind when he hasn't cleaned the litter box in a week.

Built a cob house yet? If you haven't, get on that before I hurt you. You know that scar... yeah. That's what I did. Get on it already, while you've got the free labor (yay children!).

I sincerely hope you've learned how to keep your mouth shut by now. Especially when working with drywall (or other dusty substances).

Sent Désirée a pirate ship, out of the blue. Because she & David have only one interest: pirateage. (Which is different from piracy, yo. (Ho.))

Figured out our theme song. (And no, for the frillionth time, it can't be "Fruity Oaty Bars".)

Used up the last of those penis post-it notes from our bachelorette party. The last few are around here somewhere, and one of them has our insurance agent's info scribbled on it and is tacked to the bulletin board.

As long as you're not in mad debt because you've been dumb, I think I'll forgive you if you haven't completed *everything* on this list. But now that you've read the letter, you've got a year...

Use up those post-its!

Love,
Yourself <3

Dear Future Self.

2010-09-22T20:54:00.001-04:00

Dear Self of the Near Future (maybe 2012, 2013?),

Get off your fat arse before you get preggo again and find a homebirth midwife.

Even if it costs a million $$ and homemade cookies every day for a year.

Your last labor could have been so much worse. And it had its WTF-are-you-doing-you-@$$hat moments (which you thankfully repressed and didn't write about. Thanks, random blogs about birth trauma for dredging some of that up. Now I have to freaking deal with it.) And if that amniotic sac doesn't burst, leave well the FUDGE alone!

Trust your body. Labor at home, where you can relax (yup, being poked & prodded and in a weird place ain't gonna do that fer ya. What were you thinking?). Relax = less pain = faster labor/delivery.

You can do it.

Love,
Yourself <3

Pssssss...t.

2010-09-15T13:47:00.002-04:00

Things That Have Happened:

We were inundated over Labor Day weekend with guests.
Cam has started stacking blocks instead of knocking them to smithereens.
Cam says "yeah" now. It's stinkin' cute.
I saw a cardinal (haven't seen one in our yard before).
Brian finally finished the clothesline. (The stained diapers thanked him profusely.)
I managed to break my custom-made night-guard again. (Stoopid teeth-grinding.)
Cam has started using the potty.

Exciting stuff, I know. ;)

I've been reading Diaper Free by Ingrid Bauer and The Diaper-Free Baby by Christine Gross-loh; the books are making me rethink what we've been doing. Elimination communication (EC) is not potty-training. It's recognizing when your child needs to pee/poo, and teaching them where they can do it. You're free from dependence on diapers, not diaper-less. It was kind of like a light bulb went off in my head - I know he doesn't like to be dirty. I remember when Cam & I went down to meet Brooke & Kyle for the first time; every time the kid kicked his legs and then started crying - he had just dirtied a diaper.

The "theory" behind waiting until they're 2 or 3 now is at that age, kids are "ready" and before then, they can't control it. After reading these books, I put two & two together: other very young animals don't like to soil themselves/their nest; why would human babies? They may need help getting to where they should potty, but they know they need to go. (Plus, at 2 or 3 kids are beginning to assert their independence, which means getting them to do something drastically different... um, tough.) They learn there's no extrinsic reward for using the potty - just that they don't have to sit in it! Yay motivation! (When was the last time you got a gold star for peeing in porcelain? ;) )

We've been doing this for 9 days now. We had 4 "misses" (= misses in communication) up through yesterday, and we've had 3 so far today. But today he also told me three times that he needed to go, so I think we're making progress.

Last night he did not wake up at all. When I went to get him this morning, he had peed only a little. And when I sat him on his potty... let's just say we were there awhile. :) A few days ago, I put him down for a nap nekkid. (When you begin to EC, it's helpful to just leave the kid nekkid all the time, so you can tell exactly when they're going and you can cue them appropriately instead of finding it later. Remember how you can't scold a puppy for an accident 10 minutes ago? Same principle.) He woke up dry. I can't remember the last time that happened.

Now when I put him in a diaper (before bed, or before we go out of the house), he sits up and grabs it, all perplexed. It's hilarious. :)

Here we are for the 1st Gator game of the season...

4 September 2010

A little bit different from last year:

24 October 2009

The post where US maternal care makes me a witch. With a B.

2010-09-03T13:50:00.001-04:00

(...and proud to be one. ;) )

I stumbled upon this report yesterday by Amnesty International. You know, the human rights group. They did a report on maternal care in the US. It's ridiculous. "It" here being the maternal care, not the report.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/demand-dignity/maternal-health-is-a-human-right/the-united-states/page.do?id=1351091

Summary: Maternal care in the US sucks monkey nuts. Our maternal mortality is higher now (13.3 deaths per 100,000 births) than in the 1980s (6.6). The kicker: There are no federal requirements for reporting maternal deaths, and the authorities concede that the number of maternal deaths may be twice as high. (pg 10) All we know is there are a crap-ton of barriers up for women with limited means and women of color. (Do I need to draw a Venn diagram here to see the overlap?)

This gets me really steamed up, in particular because of the correlation with abortion rights. And an imaginary conversation I had running in my head with a conservative "Pro-Lifer" (aren't we all anti-death and pro-life? I mean, except for death metalheads? but that's a slightly different issue...) - I like to sub in my FIL for the conversation. That does nothing for my blood pressure, however.

P-L: Abortion should be banned. It's murder.
Me: Really? So you're going to provide free, high-quality maternal care for all of the pregnant women out there who wanted an abortion, but thanks to your stance can't get one? Or is God going to provide that, too?
P-L: No. Er, yes. But I don't want to ~~pay money~~ raise taxes to do it.
Me: Why not? If a fetus is so sacred, doesn't it deserve the best care? And since the woman is carrying that baby, shouldn't she also be well taken care of? ~~Did you not talk about the importance of the future generation at our wedding?~~
P-L: It's her body & baby. She should pay for them.
Me: A) You're turning a rights violation into a discussion about money. B) You denied her the option to abort, so you've taken on some other responsibilities now. This is almost as messed up as court-ordered cesarean sections.
P-L: What?! I never said that.
Me: Well, when you decided that she couldn't be trusted to make the right decision one time...

I always win [...in my mind...]. :)

And a bunny rabbit covered in pastry.

2010-08-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

Cue the twilight zone music.

My house is clean. Clean! Even the kitchen!

Something got under my skin yesterday and after getting up at 6am to get the bread dough going, I decided to vacuum. The. Entire. House.

...Entire!

If I just pick up the papers ~~on the floor of~~ in the office and unload the dish drainer, I could actually start painting the baseboards like I've been wanting. (They look like sh...ugar.)

Cam & I are meeting Brian at Lowe's today after he gets off of work, and picking up materials for my new clothesline(!). 'Bout darn time. We're also getting some garden supplies (neem oil -which supposedly gets rid of fire ants!, fish emulsion) and will hopefully repot the rosemary and the bougainvillea this weekend. And I'm planting some more veggies. Because really, buying zucchini from Publix grates a bit. (Okay, a lot.)

17 Aug 2010

This is the inside of that Moon & Stars watermelon we harvested a few weeks ago. ~8.5 lbs. So sweet! When's the last time you ate a watermelon with SEEDS? (Can't have a spitting contest without seeds!) We have four-five more growing right now... four of them trellised. :)

Recently, we had two events going on at our house: Medieval Night and the 2nd Biennial (Defying) Physics Party. Both were successes, in that we got to eat a lot of good food and hang out with awesome people. (And shoot diet cola REALLY high in the air. Never gets old.) Here are some pics:

20 Aug 2010

The bunny. This is a rabbit, covered in pastry dough. It was delicious. We got the recipe from a medieval cookbook Brian got for Yule/Xmas. He baked up a nice golden brown... but sadly, his eyes fell out. But his head stayed on! (there's no actual rabbit head in there, just wanted to point out.)

20 Aug 2010

We ate by candlelight (after Cam went to bed). Also served: wine, beer bread, kale, and amazing sauteed mushrooms.

The Physics Party was disgustingly good. We had a variety of pimped-out snacks: a Cadbury egg the size of a dinner plate; a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup the size of a pie dish; a four-layer Portal cake; and, of course, a Rice Krispie treat. Beer pongage also occurred, in addition to Pirates vs. Ninjas Munchkin.

21 Aug 2010

Why yes, that's a butter knife on top of the RKT... for scale.

I have gained two pounds. (Which I needed... so maybe biennial -> bi-annual? bi-monthly? ;) )

Parenting? Hard? What?

2010-08-23T09:04:00.003-04:00

Now that Chucklebutt is 10 months old, he's starting to do things like look at Mom/Dad, then casually lean over and try to rip out the electrical outlet plugs. Or headbutt people in the face. Or even better bite people... on the shoulder, the chin, or on the last remnants of the baby fat bits on my stomach (my personal fave).

It wasn't enough I had to birth this kid, now I have to parent him too? :) GAH.

Right now we're at the "Don't ___" and redirecting phase (ie, he bites my face, I say "don't bite" firmly, and redirect him to a teething ring he can bite to his little heart's content.) It's hard. I've been known to slip and just yell "OWNODON'TDOTHAT"... which accomplishes precisely nothing, as Cam stares at me thinking, "Hmm, interesting sounds."

Will it actually be easier when he can talk?

Words Cam knows: Mama, Dada, Cameron, Uncle David, Aunt D, nurse, bear, kittens, Gwen, ball, food, more, all done, don't, smoothie, banana, EDIT 8/24: wave, clap
Words Cam can say: Mama, Dada, na na (nurse)
Words Cam can sign: All done, more

Aunt D getting bitten. Not in a True Blood or Twilight or [insert hokey vampire reference here] kind of way.

18 Aug 2010

Fangs Mom!

20 Aug 2010

More food pictures.

2010-08-09T02:13:00.001-04:00

Exactly what the doctor ordered at 2am. I'm hungry now...

Raw spinach dip with basil and garlic.

Totally threw a bunch of stuff into the food processor; it was magical. Luckily I wrote down the recipe... somewhere.

Smoked chicken. B's got skills.

Homemade hummus. (Not to be confused with humus.) Cam loves this stuff.

Honey Bee Ale! My first time brewing by myself.

And I'm hugging it because I made too much ice to cool the wort... it needed to be warmer for the yeast. Oops. (And you thought I was a lush.)

EDIT 8/23:

Since I can't find the original "recipe" at the moment, here's my attempt at remembering it:

~6-8ish oz of spinach
~6 fresh basil leaves (add more if you want more basil flavor)
~2 raw garlic cloves (ditto)
1 pkg cream cheese (I used one thawed from the freezer. In a dip like this, the texture difference doesn't matter)
tad of olive oil

Throw garlic in food processor. Pulse for a few seconds, until flung into little bits around the bowl. Add spinach and basil. Drizzle (very lightly) with the olive oil. Process into a green paste. Add cream cheese. Blend the heck out of it (as there is heck in it). Enjoy! If I find what I originally wrote down (and it differs from this), I'll modify this recipe.

Coupons and the Pursuit of Happiness

2010-07-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

I've written previously about taking up couponing as a hobby. However, I've been doing some reassessment. Of life in general. As Marty McFly would say - "Heavy." ;)

What brought this on? Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver; watching An Inconvenient Truth (I know, I'm five million years behind) and Sweet Misery, a documentary about the story behind aspartame; realizing for the fiftieth time that all of our sh...tuff has a crapload of chemicals in it, but finally doing something about it. Something more than just buying organic apples to keep the doctor at bay.

So what am I doing, exactly? I'm not entirely sure myself. I'm going to be making a lot more of my own personal and household products. I'm going to be buying 100% recycled paper towels and toilet paper. I'm going to be eating more local food (look out, farm down the road). And I'm thinking about getting another chest freezer and buying grass-fed beef (in bulk... 'cause it comes off a cow. Which is huge!). And hopefully we can enlarge the garden soon. Like next month soon, because late Aug - September is the time to plant here. (I'm a Floridian and still can barely wrap my head around that.)

So... back to couponing. I knew when I first got started that most coupons are for processed products, so I haven't been able to get the super-super-cheap deals (because I won't eat them). I think/hope I've relaxed to the point of keeping my eye out for them, but not going out of my way every week to make sure there's no potentially free (junk) shtuff somewhere. And since farms don't take coupons... lol.

Checking out Phoebe's "fuurrniture"

24 July 2010

Just some thoughts on living life to the fullest. :) Cam is still working on those four teeth up top, and fighting a runny nose & slight cough right now. I made a totally awesome, off-the-cuff (raw) spinach garlic dip two nights ago, and have been eating it and feeding a bit to him as well. His nose is better today, so... we'll see I guess. My throat, however, is kinda scratchy at the moment. I made a green smoothie this morning for our breakfasts, but Cam just threw it up. :(

The post where I use CAPS a lot.

2010-07-16T23:53:00.001-04:00

So, a lot has been happening at Casa de C's.

Nana & Gramps came & went off on their month-long sojourn to Europe (sigh). Brett's staying here for the duration - he's been a lot of help, actually. I just feel bad "ignoring" him during Cam's nap... which is when I usually write blog posts. (Hence the lack of them recently.) We blew insulation into the attic with no casualties (YAY). I got some sewing done (GASP). And here's another sentence with something in parenthesis and caps (CAPS).

Update on the Ergo situation: I'm okay with it. I don't love it, probably because I am short and short-waisted. I can't quite make it small enough. I would never use it to carry Cam in front of me, but it's okay for carrying him on my back. The first time I used it, I was petrified he was going to lean back and fall out. Since then, I've used it three times. The Moby and I are still [likethis]. Brian likes the Ergo better, though. Which was the original intent when purchasing it, so... ha!

And now for a cute baby pic:

HAPPY!

12 July 2010

He was not so happy this evening; he's cutting three (3!) teeth along the top. Not. Much. Fun. Try yelling for an hour, refusing to nurse, and passing out from exhaustion on Mom's shoulder. All while I try and keep my sh...tuff together, because I can't do anything for him. :-( Parenthood really teaches you patience.

And now for some other pics, to make up for the lack of pics in the last few post-lacking weeks:

Come to Mama...

14 July 2010

MOON & STARS WATERMELON! Words cannot express my excitement. I've wanted to grow this since I was like 9. Or 12. And obviously, a huge nerd. There are two plants, and they're kind of taking over the garden right now... which is fine, since nothing much else can stand the heat. I pulled up half our basil tonight and we made pesto ... to last us the next year or so. Did I mention it was only half?

A lazy afternoon...

15 July 2010

I found some scrumptious-looking organic strawberries at my local Publix. Can you guess what's going to happen? <3<3<3 Nothing like cutting up some strawberries with a glass of tea (and a glass straw - AWESOME!) on a hot summer afternoon.

I love my Publix, but dang are they chintzy with the organic produce. So I was exceedingly delighted to find 3 perfect packages of these babies... and bought them all. They're destined for green smoothies. We're hoping to go to a local farm on Sunday to get some kale and raw, grass-fed milk! My stomach is already grumbling. However, that could be the lack of munchies to go along with my beer. :-D Now for some reading and then off to bed!

Ergo.

2010-07-02T22:27:00.001-04:00

So, we just got one of these.

Why? Because A) I can't carry Cam in the Moby on my back until he's coordinated/old enough to hang on while I wrap it, and B) Brian is intimidated by a long piece of fabric. Guess I'll have to hide his Yule presents in my sewing room. :)

I might not post next week because we're putting more insulation up in the attic. Those $190 light bills ain't going to solve themselves.... On the plus side, Brett will be here to help. And my mom can watch Cam. And my dad can... be Gramps. :) Yay for family time! In the meantime, enjoy:

"Jigga-what?"

26 June 2010

Happy One Year Blog-a-versary!

2010-06-27T20:44:00.000-04:00

I have officially been blogging for one year as of two days ago! Oversharing in the blogosphere since 2-0-0-9!

I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. (all taken 25 June 2010)

To poke or not to poke.

2010-06-23T22:14:00.003-04:00

~~Possibly the only kids' topics I've heard more debate about are sleep-training and discipline.~~ Oh wait, no. Most hotly debated. Hands-down.

Nearly everyone has an opinion on vaccines - that they're [a] god's gift to mankind, that you're a bad parent if you choose not to vaccinate, that they directly cause autism and OMG-other-diseases... and other, wildly divergent views. (I could list hundreds of links to sites to support pretty much any opinion, but I feel that that's ~~pointless~~ unhelpful when Google is just a click away.)

So many people make blanket statements about this topic as well... and I can't agree with any of them. Like most things, I think the truth is in the middle.

Do I want to put my baby at risk? Certainly not. For anything. Ever. (For any reason...)

Is it possible to never put your baby at risk for anything? Uh... no.

For me, it boils down to:

there not being a lot of really good, LONG-TERM data about vaccines with regard to allergies, neurological disorders, and cancer* in particular

and more importantly,

With vaccines, there's an tiny possibility of a serious reaction (although potentially more for Cam, because Brian's had one). Without vaccines, there's a tiny possibility of contracting one of those diseases, and IF he contracts one, a tiny possibility of a serious side effect.

So I feel that either way, we all run a risk.

I've done a lot of research and still can't say I'm 100% confident in my decision. Ultimately, I think we've decided to put off Cam's vaccines for now. That doesn't mean we won't vaccinate him when he's older.

*Hmmm, yeah. Cancer. We inject our pets every year with at least a rabies vaccine. The pet cancer rate stands at 50%. There's something going on there.

Those boots were made for walking...

2010-06-22T10:37:00.000-04:00

Things we've been up to:

* testing out swim diapers. No reliable data yet, because he hasn't pooped in them. Filling up the big tub is fun, though...
* suddenly creating HUGE PUDDLES when he wakes up from a nap. I have to put two inserts (usually 1 cloth, 1 disposable) in anytime he goes to sleep. Because of this, he could probably get hit with a baseball bat between the legs and not really feel it. (lol)
* teaching Uncle Brett how to change diapers and babysit... which he actually ain't all that bad at. He makes Cam laugh. Of course, $$ is a big motivator for a 15-yr-old.
* BABBLING like there's no tomorrow. Mamamama, Dadadada, Naynay, Bababa, Pa (not sure if there's any meaning associated with those last few).
* learning that prunes & oatmeal is quite possibly the nastiest thing to clean up, ever. And squash. EWW squash.

Nana got John Deere boots in SC!

17 June 2010

Happenings.

2010-06-13T00:17:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been playing around with new design templates and headers for the ol' blogstead. You're still in the right place. (Theoretically.) This is apparently what I do on Satuday night around midnight instead of realizing all that yawning means I need to get my butt in bed so I can semi-function when I get to see ALL the in-laws tomorrow. (and I mean all)

Happenings:
* Cam is now free with his high-fives. (He previously restricted them only to "Katie"s.) Aunt Kim is very proud.
* He has pulled himself up so that he's sitting on his knees, using the side of his crib.
* He is vocalizing way more, I think. It might also be because Uncle Brett's around, too... and he likes Crazy Uncle Brett. :-D Especially Magnum Socks, à la Brett. (HUGE GIGGLES!!!)

Mom, put down the camera & play with meee!

11 June 2010

What I Choose to ahem Do.

2010-06-06T21:09:00.003-04:00

My house is a(n organized?) wreck.

Since moving in last year (while pregnant, which I do not recommend under any circumstances to anyone, ever), I haven't exactly made housework a priority. While part of me would like the floors mopped every week, the bathrooms scrubbed, and the kitchen spotless every single second of every day... I'm one person cleaning up after three people. And taking care of an almost-8-month-old.

There's not enough time in the day. Between Cam, eating, basic personal hygiene (hairbrush optional), food, going to the bathroom, and making sure there are clean diapers... I have about 30 minutes of totally free time a day before passing out in an exhausted puddle. Do I want to twitch and nitpick about hard water stains on the bathroom faucet?

Uh.... no. Surprise.

So while I'll make sure the guest room's sheets and towels are clean when people come visit, I'd much rather try and keep my relationship functional, if not happy. So I can either do the dishes, or my husband. Hmmm.... maybe that's what got us into this mess in the first place.

This mess! :)

1 June 2010

Taking inventory:

2010-05-29T00:00:00.001-04:00

Locking clips: -1 (forgot to get it out of the rental car *SHAKES FIST*)
Flying Saucer Pub coasters for the beer cave wall: +3
Bottles that we can use to bottle homebrew: +2
Disposable diapers: -55
Clean laundry: -45676543
Dirty laundry: +45676543
Sanity: -2

Experience: +1 frillion

Beware the dangers of condensates...

21 May 2010

The "method" post.

2010-05-25T20:25:00.003-04:00

I feel like getting T-shirts that say "We survived Texas."

Cam was amazing nearly the entire time. You'd think he had frequent flier miles. We got so many compliments on how "well-behaved" he is. And at every one, I laughed a little. (Mostly to myself, but sometimes aloud. Okay, mostly aloud.)

Why? Because I don't feel like we're doing anything special to have such a happy kid. But then I look at what other parents do, and realize we're ... different.

I like to call our "method" laid-back* attachment parenting. When you read about AP initially, it sounds hip & groovy, but (like most things in life) some people take it to EXTREMES. (Hence the qualifier.)

Laid-back meaning:

We don't baby-wear constantly. Sometimes it's too damn hot. Sometimes he's too darn wiggly.
We don't only feed organic foods. (Can't find organic mangoes, lol)
I breastfeed because it's easy (not too mention cheap and better for him).
We haven't vaccinated Monkey yet, but we're going to (when he's older).
We don't co-sleep (although sometimes I'll nap with him).
If I need a shower, I'll change his diaper & put him in his crib. None of this "I can't put him down or he'll cry..." He'll be fine for 15 minutes. Hell, he might even nap.
We go with what's best for him and reasonably easiest for us.

Attachment parenting meaning:

We respond to him fairly quickly when he cries, and assess his needs.
If he wants to eat twice in an hour, that's cool; babies have tiny stomachs.
I'm thinking about bf'ing until he's 2... just in the morning & at night. We'll reevaluate the plan at a year.
We hold Cam a lot. We interact with him a lot. We play & read... a lot.
We realize we're his parents and he can't entertain himself for hours (just yet) and that crying is his way of communicating a need right now.

Personally (and yes, I know everyone's not game for it, which is ok), I think having Cam naturally and getting in that skin-to-skin time right away helped considerably with the whole bonding process. Babies have a few hours after birth when they're in a special kind of alertness, and if they're drugged at all it's going to interfere with that. (Also, you get such a RUSH after delivery! I think it's a special bonding time for the mom, too.) I feel like Cam's so "well-behaved**" because we're well-bonded and he feels secure, knowing his needs will be met.

Oh yeah. And we're lucky... because every baby is different.

Snuggling in TX!

23 May 2010

*I was going to call it "lazy...", but then realized I'm too tired from parenting to call it lazy.
**Does this go back to the "children should be seen & not heard" saying? It just seems weird to me to call a baby well-behaved, when in essence you just mean "not loud".

Sharper than a serpent's tooth!

2010-05-16T21:21:00.004-04:00

Let me preface this by saying two things:
1) Cam's been "teething" on and off for awhile now. Since January. Drooling, gnawing, the whole nine yards.
2) It is physically impossible for a baby to bite his or her mother when properly latched.

Having said those two things:
Cam's cutting teeth! I was rubbing his gums today (that seems to feel good when they're bothering him), and the bottom two in front are coming in. Shouldn't be long now until he has actual teeth... and looks even cuter. :)

Cam bit me today. (He wasn't actively eating, just finishing up.) It was not the first time, but with those tooth nubs... let's just say it was not pretty.

I may have yelled "OW!" in his face. He may have cried. A lot.

I may still be sore.

But I will be darned if he continues with this land shark business. (And you thought Land Shark was just a beer.) I do not want to have to end breastfeeding early (...before we both want to).
-----
I'm halfway through our lists for TX. We're bringing the playpen, stroller, and Cam's (old) car seat... in addition to everything else. I'm glad we're going through security at 4 or 5 in the morning both ways... 'cause I have a feeling it's going to take awhile.

Especially if they make us take off our shoes - I really don't want to ponder that one.

Outtake for Aunt D:

Upset baby.

12 May 2010

Never put off 'til tomorrow...

2010-05-10T22:04:00.003-04:00

Things have been a little crazy around here recently. Family coming & going & coming ... (you get the idea). Friends popping in, tolerantly putting up with my fruitless quests for free photo DVDs (*shakes fist @ Target!*), and ultimately picking out a really cute new swimsuit for my post-baby body. FIL insisting on inviting himself over for lunch.
Realizing that my new nightguard has a huge crack and grooves in it because apparently I grind my teeth even worse than before. Stress much?

And now for more craziness: the Texas trip - a.k.a. Cameron's first plane ride.

While much is made of my ability to pack a car trunk, I'm finding it difficult to organize all of the stuff we need to bring with us. Why am I finding it hard? Because I haven't started my lists yet.

Yes, you read that right. Miss Let-Me-Plan-Everything-Months-In-Advance-By-Making-Fifty-Bazillion-Lists has yet to start a single one. Breathe. (In... out. In...)

Did I mention we're ten days away?

Happy Birthday, Aunt D!

2 May 2010

Bad ideas.

2010-05-05T09:57:00.000-04:00

For the record, this is what happens when your husband suggests giving your brother incentive to clean the shower in the form of writing embarrassing quotes in bathtub crayon on the walls... and when your brother decides it's a better idea to make up other quotes, write them up... and not clean the shower.

(thank you for cleaning my shower, D. :-D <3)

Friday Food Porn.

2010-04-30T20:15:00.006-04:00

Shells & cheddar cheese with scallions and Campari tomatoes to make it... "healthy".

The homemade cheese sauce was deliciously smooth. The slight tang of the green onion every now and again kept the sauce from becoming boring, and the tomatoes added a fleshy sweetness. This picture was taken before the pan went into the oven... that's why the cheese on the top (which turned into a golden-y crust!) isn't melted.

I have the recipe if anyone wants it... or I could just post it.

EDIT May 1: Here's the recipe-

Nicole's Mac & Cheese
2 cups (uncooked) elbow macaroni or shells, cooked
2 tbsps. butter
2 tbsps. flour
1 1/2 tsps. dry mustard
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk (I think the sauce is better if you use whole milk, but that may be psychological ;) )
2 to 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar

chopped green onions & sliced tomatoes, if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter; whisk in flour, mustard, & salt mix (pinch by pinch). GRADUALLY whisk in milk (do this too fast & you'll have lumps). Gradually means just a splash at a time. The idea is to make a slurry with the butter + flour mixture, then evenly incorporate the milk into it (or vice versa).

Cook & stir until sauce thickens slightly (coats the back of a spoon). Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of sharp cheddar & let it melt, stirring very regularly. It should look like super-creamy cheese sauce! :)

Place the drained noodles in a greased 13x9 pan, and pour the cheese sauce over them. Add chopped green onions, stirring to distribute. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar. Place tomatoes on top.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 6 big servings.

Bed time.

2010-04-27T17:52:00.000-04:00

So we all know I'm a hippie granola mom, right? Good.

One of the things I'm trying to do more often is bed time. No, not going to bed on a set schedule (though we mostly do that anyway); spending time in bed. Together. With toys, books, and lots of cuddle time. Sometimes with a laptop.

The benefits of caring for newborn (especially premature) babies skin to skin have been recognized for awhile now, but some people say it continues to provide support for older infants (regulating breathing, heart rate, blood sugar, etc.).

Not to mention the current benefits of a soft surface when you're learning how to sit upright by yourself.

Bed time!

27 April 2010

This is probably going to happen more at our house over the summer, when we set the air to 81 and turn on the ceiling fan. In nursing bras and shorts (for me) and a frakin' cute diaper (for him), 81 is downright tolerable. Especially when you can nurse the kid and then take an afternoon siesta...

The dirty (five) dozen.

2010-04-19T12:23:00.002-04:00

I get a lot of questions about cloth diapers. E.g. "Aren't they more work?"/"Don't they take more time?", "Isn't it gross?", "Aren't they just for tree-hugging hippies like yourselves?"

I may have made that last one up.

A) Yes, they're two* more loads of laundry per week more work.
B) It's gross using disposables, too. I mean, c'mon, it's -poop-. There's no way for it not to be gross.
C) Nope! Cloth is also for the budget-conscious. And for people who have a problem with putting chemical-laced nastiness on their baby's butt.

We're currently using prefolds with diaper covers. You pin the diaper on (although I much recommend Snappis... no chance of stabbing a hole in your kid's torso/other places), then basically add the diaper cover - which attaches like a disposable would. The diaper cover protects clothes/everything else from the wetness/sh*tskies.

Baby excretes, you change. It's really not that hard...

Pros:
1) MUCH cheaper in the long run. -Especially- if you have more than one kid.
2) MUCH less diaper rash. Butt paste is expensive, people. Especially if you want non-petroleum-based stuff.
3) Reduce, reuse... once you're done having kids, diapers make great cleaning rags. My mom still has some from when I was in diapers. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
4) You can also use cloth diapers as burp cloths, mini-towels & blankets, protect the car seat cover with them... etc.

Cons:
1) You do have to do the laundry... unless you get a service.
2) You do have to buy bigger diaper covers every once in awhile. Cam's gone through extra-small and small, and is now on medium (which he'll be in until he hits 28 lbs. I'm hoping for potty time by then). We have 4 (you don't have to change them every time).
3) There is the potential for big messes if you can't get the diaper on fast enough. Which is about to be alleviated by -

gDiapers!

I'm so excited. Why? That's for a future post, because this one's already looong...

*Cam never stopping pooing 4567876 times a day. Some kids do. So I change about 15 a day right now, and we have 60 diapers... you do the math.

A new, weekly feature.

2010-04-15T12:16:00.006-04:00

On some of the blogs I read, there's a weekly feature on one or more days of the week - "Wordless Wednesday"; "Snackurday"; "Tide You Over Tuesday".

I'm toying with the idea of starting one. It's called, "Who's On My Irrational Sh*tlist Thursday".

This week's Offender:

(Do not buy!)

Back story: My mom found this cool fabric remnant at Joann's that fits in with my sewing room colors & theme. So, hey - I don't have allergies. Why don't I make some sort of window treatment for my room!

In an attempt to actually finish a project, I went with the no-sew cornice kit pictured above. For $20, it seemed like a good deal. (Yes, I had a coupon.) Comes with all hardware; just tuck, fold, & hang, right?

BZZZT. Wrong answer.

First problem: the fabric I have is too thin, so I had to double & triple layer it where it's supposed to be tucked. If I manhandle it (gee, like, when I try to hang it), it comes out.

Second problem: the molly things that are supposed to go into the wall... hmm. Let's think. Last time I checked, 99.8475% of windows let you look outside your house. Which means they're framed. Probably in metal or wood, at least on the outside. The mollys they give you are cheesy little tiny plastic things that aren't meant for anything other than really, really thin drywall. I get one in 3/4 of the way, and it hits wood/metal. STUCK!

Third problem (hey, I said this was irrational): I put in all four mollys anyway... with the help of Captain Hammer. I managed to get the brackets up, though they're loose. The cornice isn't that heavy.... Oh wait, or it wouldn't be if the "clips" that the brackets are supposed to attach to weren't impossible to attach to the brackets. So I'm stuck balancing on the footlocker under the window, trying to clip the cornice up in vain.... while trying not to curse loud enough to wake up Cam.

I have to do projects like this in spurts, while Cam's down for a nap. Earlier in the week I spent the 30+ minutes fiddling with the fabric & putting the darn thing together, and today I had planned on hanging the thing. That way, I could point to it and go "HA! I did something home-improvement-y around the house without you" to both Brian and Désirée this weekend. Looks like that ain't happening.

And that's it for "Irrational Sh*tlist Thursday". Should I make this a weekly thing?

A day in the life of a six-month-old.

2010-04-14T00:58:00.001-04:00

Breakfast.

So darn cute.

Quoi??

Rub-a-dub-dub.

It comes in textures?!

Happy clean wee one.

The end.

A letter to my little man.

2010-04-12T22:08:00.001-04:00

Dear Cameron,

In a few short hours, you will be six months old. Wow. It seems like it was just last week you popped your gourd-sized head out of a place that doesn't get gourd-sized traffic every day. I thought you were the cutest thing I'd ever seen, even though now you are much cuter and when I look at your birth pictures you look like an alien or a lizard or something. That was the proudest day of my life. Or night. I'm not really sure, we had those confused for awhile.

I'm really glad I haven't dropped you in the diaper pail or left you in Target or any of those other things I had nightmares about. I'm sure you will be too, once you're old enough to understand this. I hope you appreciate me telling all the people we meet in Publix to keep their hands off of you. They mean well, but they're germ-y. You really are too cute for your own good.

You're starting on the road to crawling. By now you can spin on your stomach pretty easily, roll from your back onto your stomach (and back) very well, and pull your legs up underneath you and dig your head into the carpet. You mostly move backwards. I know this will not last very long.

You're also starting on solid food; I know your dad and I are going to have lots of fun exposing you to all sorts of off-the-wall foods. If you were going to go to school, you'd be the kid who'd bring kimchi omelets for lunch and think nothing of it. (Your dad just created one tonight. They're weird.) I love that regardless of whether it's peas or carrots or bananas, you want it. And you want more.

In the past six months, you've taught me many things. I've learned that:

silence really is golden... but can be petrifying;
babies get filthy!!! (who knew?!);
bubble baths, coffee with actual caffeine, and GIGGLES are the most wonderful things ever;
cloth diapers can keep a budget in check (not to mention the planet);
nothing brings a smile to my face quicker than a baby who is just tickled pink that I walked into the room.

I think you've taught your old dad a few things, too... which he may or may not admit. I'm pretty sure both of you are going to exchange that favor many times over the next lifetime. Although, if your first word actually is "boob" as he's teaching you, you might not have any siblings. (Sorry!)

All joking aside, I'm really glad to be your mom. I had a lot of time while you were cooking to think about what you'd be like, and I can honestly say that you are more awesome than anything I hoped for.

And I mean awesome in the true sense of the word, not the hot dog sense.

Love,
Mom

Oh my god, Becky, listen to his cough...

2010-04-07T12:03:00.003-04:00

As I sit & write this, it is the first time since 8am that I haven't been holding Cam. Currently the baby swing is again on top of the list of favorite baby items. My right deltoid & bicep thank you, Graco. (The good news is that Cam is a 17 lbs 3 oz oinker...)

Why do I have my arms free only now? Because he's coughing. Violently. It sounds like one (or both) of his lungs are going to shoot out across the room and go SPLAT against the fridge.

Back story: Brian, Cam, and I woke up sick (sore throats for the "adults", coughing for everyone!) last Friday, courtesy of Crazy Uncle Brett. I proceeded to feel "meh" over the weekend. Brian & Cam sounded worse and worse. Brian is slowly getting better. What is it with my boys and lung issues(!)?

Monday, Cam's cough changed and was deeper and more insistent. He was/is also filled with goo and a bit wheezy. Monday night, I steamed up the bathroom twice in an attempt to help him breathe more easily (3:45 and 6am... uuuuuugh). Yesterday I took him to the doctor (for fear of croup) and she spake the word, "Bronchiolitis".

While yes, it sounds yummy, it means his smaller airways (not the big bronchi) are inflamed and causing the difficulty breathing. She also said it would probably take 2-3-4 weeks to go away. On the off chance that some kind of asthma inhaler would work, we tried an in-office treatment... to no avail. There is no treatment for it until he either can't breathe (O2 tent @ the hospital) or develops other stuff. Meanwhile, I get to hear my baby try and pull his toenails out through his nostrils.

HOW SUGAR-LICKING FUDGED UP IS THAT?!

It makes my heart hurt.

I've also had to do approximately 400 loads of laundry since Friday, because violent coughing + trying to eat = NOT GOOD. :( We both got a bath at 7 this morning for the same reason. What a way to start the day.

The worst part is having to get up 6 times a night, though. Cam didn't even wake up this much when he was a newborn. I'm not sure if it's the sleep deprivation or what, but I feel like I'm getting sick again... my sore throat hasn't gone away yet.

My happy wheezer.

6 April 2010

Things I Am Grateful For...

2010-04-04T22:42:00.001-04:00

#1 - baby monitors (but not ones with video cameras, because that's overkill)
#2 - external hard drives (to fill up with baby pictures)
#3 - the ability to sneak vegetables into smoothies so even I don't know they're there (yum)
#4 - tax refunds (needs no explanation)
#5 - hot water with honey & freshly grated ginger (yum)
#6 - when my awesome husband not only makes Easter Enchiladas but also cleans up afterward!!!!

Looking at this list, food might be a high priority for me. :)

~~Attitude~~. My ride has been pimped, thanks.

2 April 2010

A few days: past & future.

2010-03-28T23:05:00.002-04:00

My brother has been staying with us the past few days, so things are a little... crazy and *more* male-centric than usual. The house reflects this (...ugh). My kitchen has taken a huge hit (4 bananas in a day? What the crap!).

On the bright side, at least the weeding got done! Also: Cam is well on the path to crawling; he's drawing his legs up underneath him and scooting around a bit. Look out world...

Tangerine-ginger chicken with celery and asparagus. (Brian's creation.)

26 March 2010

Green baby.

28 March 2010

I've decided I'm going to try out a few things over the next couple of days: criticize less (I feel like I do this WAY too often), laugh more, and find something constructive to do when I'm getting mad/frustrated.

Anyone have any ideas of what to do for that last one? I'm thinking three deep breaths.

Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde.

2010-03-23T23:04:00.001-04:00

No, this is not a post about the novella by Stevenson. You want book discussion, watch Oprah. I've forgotten that books other than kids' books & cookbooks exist.

For the past three nights, Cam has thrown a wrench into the lovely, quiet bedtime routine that's been going on now for weeks. Weeks. Instead of bath, nursing, Goodnight Moon, and bed - followed quickly by cute grunting noises and sleep - he's added a fifth step: yowling, ear-tugging crying. He's obviously tired. He wants to go to sleep. He knows how to get there. He's just... teething.

This has become the bane of my existence (for the moment). We have a routine for a reason: he goes to sleep, and I get some adult time to do whatever (although it usually involves our budget/taxes/planning out shopping trips & coupons here lately). Instead, I get five minutes into something that I specifically put off to do after he's down for the night and have to stop to go hold him. For 45 minutes. At this point, it's too late to go back to what I was previously doing, as it is my bedtime. (Except when I make masochistic late-night blog posts.)

I'm torn: I hate hate HATE to hear him cry (and the fact that he's crying), but I also hate getting interrupted. At this rate, my latest Shutterfly project will never get done! GAH!

And now, because you got through ~~my whining~~ ~~the post~~ my whining:

Spring!

22 March 2010

Tickle-y, Mom... tickle-y.

22 March 2010

Addendum: And Gwen, if you don't stop peeing frickin' everywhere, I'm going to hurt 'choo!

Zen and the Art of Parenthood.

2010-03-16T14:54:00.001-04:00

Hmmmm. Take a look at this picture:

Here's ol' blue eyes...
16 March 2010

(cute, right?) Well, my kid doesn't have red hair. At least, right now he doesn't... he barely has any.

We sat outside on Sunday (and briefly yesterday afternoon) for about 30-45 minutes. I held Cam on my lap... we were just having fun shooting the breeze with "Aunt" Kim. It was such a gorgeous day with the breeze blowing and the sun shining. What am I getting at? Cam has his first sunburn.

Or as I wrote on his baby calendar, "sun-kissed noggin".

Which brings me back to the title of this post. I wasn't thinking. And I need to be more mindful of our surroundings and realize that even if I'm okay, he needs a hat - 'cause he's still bald for the most part!

Feeding patterns of the wild newborn.

2010-03-05T23:09:00.001-05:00

I just had to share this because I think it's hilarious. I was reading this UF IFAS Extension webpage about breastfeeding, where they describe several different types of feeding patterns exhibited by newborns. (Hehe, feeding patterns. Makes them sound like wild animals. Which they totally aren't. *COUGHyeahrightCOUGH*)

Anyway, "your baby may be one of the following:"

The Barracuda, who gets down to business.
The Impatient One, who is so excited about breast feeding that he or she doesn't feed very well.
The Procrastinator, who doesn't seem to be interested in nursing until the milk comes in.
The Mouther, who plays with the nipple.
The Rester, who nurses a few minutes, takes a rest, and then nurses again.

New highchair!

24 Feb 2010

Misguided conceit?

2010-03-05T12:35:00.005-05:00

I am insanely proud of myself for catching ALL of Cam's spit-up in my hand and without spilling a drop making it to the bathroom and disposing of it, all while juggling him.

Is that bad?

Peekaboo...

28 Feb 2010

Banana-licking, and other giggles.

2010-03-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Eye see you!

2 March 2010

We got up early today. (Ugh.) Cam sits in his highchair now while I eat breakfast; this morning, he was studying what I was eating very intently. So I thought I'd let him smell the banana I had just peeled. His eyes went wide... his mouth opened... and he started licking the tip of the darn thing. Like it was a popsicle. He then proceeded to fuss when I took it out of his mouth, so I let him lick it again.

We were out the door at 10, and went to several places. Picked up a pitchfork and two compost buckets (2 two-gallon white pails) at Lowe's, price-checked flour at BJ's (yay, it's cheaper than Publix! We just opened our last 10 lb bag), and then got a bunch of stuff (some free!) at Target. Eerily enough, we got into the car at -precisely- the time we needed to to make my dentist appointment; we were even early! Shocking.

In other news, I think Cam's getting over his fear of strange (new) people; he gave some lady in Target a HUGE giggle today!!! She said it made her day. :)

The last few days, in pictures.

2010-02-27T18:13:00.000-05:00

Spinach & Cannellini bean dip - 25 Feb 2010

Cold kittehs nest oh-so-cutely. 26 Feb 2010

Stuffed cabbage leaves 26 Feb 2010

Brian & Cameron watch the homemade pizza bake! 27 Feb 2010

I'm hungry now....

Warning Label for Babies.

2010-02-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

Caution: Not for the self-centered. (Self-centered in the traditional sense of the word; additionally meaning 'I'd like to eat/sleep/watch a movie/make a grocery list now/pretty much do anything other than feed the baby, change his diaper, or cart his lead butt around because he just wants to be held'.)

*** Will leave you feeling drained for weeks/months(/years) on end.
*** Will require you to replace or "upgrade" at least half of your wardrobe with clothes that are compatible with the following: drop-everything boobie accessibility; wash, wash-and-wear, and then wash again on a sanitary cycle; and permanently 'upgraded' hips but temporary curve fluctuations.
*** Will cause you to simultaneously feel fulfilled/loved but at the same time resent your husband because he doesn't have to interrupt what he's doing every 30 seconds. Will lead to ADD and/or 'Mommy brain'.
*** Will cause you to bounce back-and-forth between 'omg why did we have a kid again' and 'awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I'm so glad we have a kid' resulting in massive neural net revolt.
*** Budget? What budget? No such thing.
*** Will cause you to devote a significant portion of brainpower to mommy radar ("Mom-dar"), resulting in you catapulting out of bed at 1am because you somehow knew in your sleep by the change in noise over the monitor that your kid's hat was over his face.

Dangerous to: a laid-back lifestyle, morning snoozes, and weekend or -day spontaneity!

Hiiiiiiiiii

26 February 2010

Buying teething toys is pointless.

2010-02-24T05:50:00.000-05:00

...just thought everyone should know. No matter how many toys you buy them, their hands taste better and are readily accessible... not to mention easier to get in their mouths when they're in the 'gah, I beat myself in the face because I'm totally uncoordinated' phase. That's when they develop the preference... mitten them early!

Arrrrrrrrgh!

23 February 2010

In other news, Cam's learned (or should I say, done it once so I'm telling everyone he's "learned") how to roll from his stomach back onto his back. Huzzah!

And yes, I am writing this at 5:30 in the morning. Why? Because At 4:30am, Monkey pooped. Loudly.

And we'll leave it at that.

Better groceries for less $$.

2010-02-21T16:47:00.001-05:00

Preface: I've been getting into coupons for the past six or so months. I've managed to cut our monthly grocery bill by about half*... and buying all organic produce (except for bananas), milk, and some processed foods.

It's like a disease. A good one (is there such a thing?), but a disease nonetheless. Last night I was up putting together my shopping list until midnight. True, I scored cheap cheese, baby wipes, cans of beans, jars of mushrooms, and better-than-free organic tomato sauce but... it's like housework.

No matter how many good deals you score, it never ends. Don't get me wrong - I like shopping. And I like saving money... even when it seems like the cashiers are P.O.ed at how much $$ you're saving (stores actually make more money when you use coupons than if you just bought everything outright... they should retrain some employees!). It just seems like it all snowballs unless you keep a handle on it. I don't want to find myself buying diabetes monitors for $20 in a few months because it's *such* a good deal.

However, if they're free... there's always the donation pile. :)

*Full disclosure: this month I did spend the full budgeted amount (almost exactly - weird). But there's also 20+ cans of beans, 40+ cans organic tomatoes/tomato paste/tomato sauce, 16 jars of mushrooms (you get the idea) in our pantry. :) Yay for Publix's 'Viva Italia' sale!

Addendum: Pantry pics! (because everyone needs to know... and I'm bored. Mostly boredom.)

Will you come to our cereal party, Shruti? (Brian's fave BOGO + free organic milk? Sign me up.)

No, those aren't boxes scalped from BJ's, why do you ask...

The results from Publix's 'Viva Italia' sale are on the floor/in boxes on top of the juice. And yes, that's a two-tier flat of baby food; when organic is .25 a jar... you gotta anticipate there will be some days where you aren't going to make it from scratch.

Rock-tastic interlude.

2010-02-16T15:26:00.000-05:00

The thought occurred to me today that The Kinks' (although I'm more familiar with the Van Halen version) "You Really Got Me" applies to motherhood:

(Boy) you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doing.
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night.

...*zzz*.

Old news (if it's news that I'm old).

2010-02-14T01:11:00.003-05:00

I'm 26. I have a four-month-old son. A house (a mortgage). A garden. A husband.

Should I really feel this old?

I thought 40 was when people started to get all introspective and nostalgic and realize their kids don't stay kids forever. I feel sad knowing that (almost) every day is a day I'll miss at some point in the future. There are times where all I want to do is hug Cam because tomorrow he's going to be that much bigger and that much closer to being all grown up (whatever that means). Aren't I not supposed to know this yet? I think I might be jumping the gun a little bit.

However, Cam is probably changing more day-to-day now than he ever will again. Seriously. Every day, he tries to talk (well, babble) to us a little more... Today, he rolled over for the second AND third times EVER. I feel like he's putting the pieces together and it's decreasingly exponential from here on out (all downhill, yes. I can feel old & still be a cheesy nerd :) ).

And now, for making it through all that blather, here's a pic:

BAM!
3 February 2010

The Balmex Finger.

2010-02-01T09:57:00.002-05:00

I have a theory. You can pick new moms out of the crowd several ways:

1 - that look. You know the one I'm talking about (and if you don't.... Hi!). We've got under-eye circles, but it's more than that. There's a glazed, I-haven't-had-a-good-solid-6-hours-of-sleep-in-weeks/months look in our eyes. You know, the feeling that actually makes us look forward to our dentist appointments because we can sit down for more than ten minutes.

2 - we're probably carting around our newly separable offshoot.

3 - what I like to call 'The Balmex Finger'.
No, this isn't some obscene gesture. After repeated diaper-changing (and hand-washing, and hand-washing again), our index fingers develop a nice white outline from smearing butt paste on our wee one's hiney. Unless we want to spend 15 minutes at the sink with a nail brush -at which point the wee one will probably need us again for something- we consign ourselves to the mommy version of 'ring around the finger'.

A bit gross, but it's clean. Right?

Drilling? No, that's purring you're thinking of.

2010-01-26T19:56:00.001-05:00

Or maybe just the sound of my breathing.

It had to happen sometime. For the first time in over a year (new record!), I'm sick. And this time, it's not just me... but Cam, too. For the record, sick + sick (and teething) baby = not fun. Postponed portraits until next week.

I'll update more when I'm not juggling a crying baby.

Baby. The other other white meat.

2010-01-26T07:49:00.002-05:00

Why are you smiling, Mommy?

21 Jan 2010

Pourquoi, Maman?

2010-01-26T07:47:00.001-05:00

Tummy time, Mom? Why?

14 Jan 2010

Hat dropping in 5, 4, 3...

2010-01-21T11:24:00.000-05:00

We're more or less settling into a routine now at Casa de C's. Apparently sleeping 6+ hours a night was boring for Cam.

Wake up at 2, 3, or 4am - eat, go back to sleep. Wake up at 5 or 6 - bring Cam to bed, eat, go back to sleep. Wake up at 8:30-9:30, eat, take Cam's daily pic, get him dressed, and get up for the day. After about an hour or two, he falls back asleep for a short (30-45min) nap. Then he wakes up, eats maybe twice, and falls asleep for his longer nap (~2 hours) until about 3pm. From there on out, he makes up for lost time eating until about 7 or 8pm, when he has a short nap again. Then bath, eat, & bed!

Of course, all of this is subject to change based on the barometer, Miss Cleo's predictions, and/or the price of eggs in China.

Quote of the week.

2009-12-17T14:37:00.002-05:00

"Why is it squishy?" -D
"It's a very wet nut." -Brian

Weighty.

2009-12-16T15:54:00.000-05:00

Cam's 11 pounds, 1 ounce as of Monday morning! At two months and one day, he's put on just shy of five pounds and added 2.5" since birth. SWEET! I knew my arm was coming out of its socket for a reason...

It has been a trying two days since then. While I dare not post details about this right now (on the off chance that Brian checks this before Monday), let's just say that when we replace the door to the beer cave I am taking an axe to it. Seriously. And burning the leftover shards.

I know of no other inanimate object that can make me angry enough to yell at Cam. (Sad but true.) Don't worry, it was fleeting and he is now secured in the Moby, snoozing away.

Can't wait to go to Gainesville next week! Even if I'll be shifted to the southbound side on my way up...

Houston, we have sleep cycle.

2009-12-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Slept through the night! Six straight hours of glorious sleep... who knew it could feel THIS GOOD.

Of course, it would feel better if I didn't have a sore throat. Oh well.

Holiday cards are getting here today... which may or may not get a personal message on the back like last year, lol. I do want to get them mailed before St. Patrick's Day. Cam's photo thank you cards (free from Shutterfly via Delta Skymiles) got here yesterday. They're cute, but a little boring in my opinion; there weren't too many options to choose from. Hopefully those will get done this week, too!

Made cookies for the neighbors so far (new neighbors to our left, finally) - along with chocolate nut clusters (no jokes, please... ok yes - jokes!). Those get delivered as soon as the holiday cards get here.

Now to order Cam's Yule present - another Moby! For when he decides to "shower" the other one with affection... or just fluid.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

2009-12-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

...the Cameron slept last night!

OHSWEETBIPPYHEWENT10HOURSBETWEENFEEDINGS!

Now that that's out of the way, Cam went from 10 last night (actually, a little before) until 7 this morning between feedings. I did have to get up at 2:30 to change a diaper, but MAN was that good sleep in the interim! I even woke up before him... can't say that's ever happened before! (It's a good thing I did, too... had to do a little pumping before I could feed him - 7oz, no effort. (jeez!))

I think I smell another growth spurt coming on...

The new Tim Tebow...

2009-11-30T11:47:00.002-05:00

... might need an exorcist.

Mr. Dangles says Happy Thanksgiving to Cam (thanks to his dad).

After an eventful weekend (dinner with everyone everywhere!, seeing Granny, visiting Aunt Katie & her family, getting dolled up at the mall, dealing with cat fluids a frillion times, watching the Gators pummel the 'Noles), Cam woke up this morning, ate, and promptly projectile vomited. On me. In our bed. Apparently either there's some rule that projectile fluids out of one end require a reciprocal action from the other end within a week... or he's possessed.

I don't know which one I like more.

Addendum: He's smiling now! I got some big smiles (with eye contact) this morning for about 30 minutes. Then he filled his diaper and realized he was hungry, so... he's sleeping right now.

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-26T08:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Turkey Day! We are going to Brian's mom's today to eat dinner with her, B's stepdad, and B's dad. (The draw of the Cameron is strong.) Friday we are going down to my parents' to eat dinner with them, Brett, Désirée, David, my grandma, and my grandpa.

Cam's 1st Thanksgiving will be full of travel, but most importantly - oodles of family!

November daze...

2009-11-20T13:43:00.000-05:00

A little blurry, but he's starting to get a personality. :)

Days are getting (marginally) chillier, especially in the morning. This becomes really apparent when you get up at 2am and have to strip off your pajama top.

We've had two nights now with ~6 hours of sleep straight. Last night, I was the one who woke up at 2am; Cam had a shart diaper and wanted to go back to sleep, but I kept him up to eat a bit. The 5am feeding fell by the wayside... so we slept (more-or-less... Brian gets up at 5:30 so I was awake then) until 7:30. Ate & then slept until 9:30! The cats were practically beating the door down, but I was so cock-eyed I couldn't get out of bed til then.

Today's agenda calls for making cat food (kinda behind on that, they're almost out!), prepping spanakopita for Turkey Day, and baking banana bread with the free bananas from BJ's. Oh yeah, and handling my new job in waste management.

Yesterday Cam slept for 2 hours in the Moby(!!) and then another hour after a feeding/diaper change interlude. Somehow I managed to seed three pomegranates, make a big pot of chicken stock, and then make acorn squash soup & biscuits. YUM! Brian got home, and gave Cam a bottle for the afternoon feeding. We had a nice sit-down dinner that was only briefly interrupted... then went upstairs, everyone got clean, and we went to sleep. Yes, we're old... headed upstairs at 8:30*.

*Not 8:30 AM.

Back up our claims? Um... no.

2009-11-11T19:10:00.001-05:00

I love that Disney, instead of backing up their claims that Baby Einstein DVDs are educational, are now explicitly stating that they offer cash refunds. Haha. Hahaha.

It's as if their thinking is, "Oh darn, they caught us. Shucks. Guess you'll be wanting your $$$ back. Yeah, we were just blowing smoke up your ... butt." (Hey, it's Disney - gotta keep it PG.)

In other news, Cam is making more eye contact, experimenting with new sounds (which sound more like a baby than a pterodactyl - YAY!), and has marginally more head control. Last night, he slept for SIX WHOLE HOURS... after the shock and the oh-my-god-is-he-dead feelings wore off, it was AWESOME! Hopefully it was not a one-time occurrence... he's got my expectations raised now.

Here he is, passed out in the Moby. This is the way I get things done in the middle of the day.

In other other good news, we got the hospital bill... which was less than we thought! Turns out we just had to pay the daily hospital co-pay instead of the three thousand I budgeted for. Cam's light box, all of his bilirubin tests, my million hours of taking up a labor/delivery/recovery room... all covered 100%! Score for not digging into savings as much as I thought!

I also might add, YAY for having health insurance... otherwise it would've been more than $11K. (...just to have a baby, no complications other than a few extra blood tests and a light box. WTF healthcare system... WTF.)

What's my name again?

2009-11-04T13:58:00.000-05:00

I was reading a local money-saving/coupon blog today, and stumbled (through the wonderful intricacies of the WWW) upon this post on another blog:

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_momsatwork/2009/10/not-taking-husbands-name-still-surprises-some-people.html#more

I laid out how I feel about names in general in a previous post. But I've got an opinion about the whole changing-names-upon-marriage thing, too (me?! an opinion?! As if!).

Bottom line: do what makes you (& your fiance(e)) happy. If that means taking your husband's (or wife's) last name, great. If it means not changing your name, great. If creating an entirely new name for just the two of you is what you want to do, great. (Sensing a pattern?) It's your name - do what you want with it and other people will adjust.

Why did I keep my 'maiden' name?

1 - It's who I am. Changing my name would be changing who I am.
2 - I like it. It's hard to spell and even harder to pronounce, but I think it's pretty.
3 - I got really into genealogy for awhile and appreciate the family history that's there. Other than Brian himself, I don't really have any attachment to his last name.
4 - Too much paperwork.
5 - 'Nicole' + (Brian's last name) sounds too violent. I'm gonna coldcock you...

And Brian didn't care. Although if he had, we probably would have had more than one discussion about it. It would probably have centered around the idea 'I'll take yours if you take mine'. :)

I realize I'm in the minority - and that's okay. I don't get offended when people I don't know call me 'Mrs. [B's last name]'. I am a little weirded out when people who know I didn't take Brian's name address me/mail that way... makes me think I need to remind them, but I don't want to go on a feminist rant unnecessarily. (Best to save those for truly disturbing topics, lest people think I'm a nut. ;) )

I do wish people would stop addressing things to 'Mr. & Mrs. Brian (B's last name)'... because apparently women traditionally change both their names. Never quite understood that one... unless it has something to do with property issues. ::rolls eyes::

The biggest legitimate critique (to me, at least) is the whole kids/family issue - whose name do you give? You've got two obvious choices - go with Mom's or Dad's. You could hyphenate. You could create a new name. The decision that Brian & I ultimately came to was to let gender decide: boys would get his last name, girls mine.

Yes, this means we won't ever be able to order those cute-sy Xmas cards with 'The ___ Family' emblazoned under an adorable picture of us with our 2.5 kids. Oh darn... oh darn. I think it's more important to foster a sense of family regardless of everyone's last name(s).

So we'll list everyone's first names on the Xmas cards. I like writing anyway.

Chunky monkey gets snipped.

2009-10-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

The three of us went to the pediatrician this morning for his 2 week checkup (and circumcision...!). Cam weighs 7 WHOLE POUNDS! That's almost a pound MORE than his birth weight!! I knew he was eating well, but... daaang, boy.

(Oct. 29)

He's also grown an inch (21" now). His newborn sleepers from Carter's actually fit him (and look so ridiculously cute)... and the Gerber onesies my mom stenciled on are almost too small. Give him 2 more days and he'll be out of them.
---
I left the circumcision decision up to Brian, since it's a boy thing. He wanted to, hence the scheduling. It kinda surprised me, but he went back with Cam while it was done. I didn't (although I had planned on going with him)... and now I'm kind of glad. It would have been interesting to watch... but not on my kid. The before-and-after was alarming enough.

I mean, I don't have a penis and my penis is hurting in sympathy if you know what I mean.

Losing my REM.

2009-10-28T18:53:00.000-04:00

I suppose, since Cam (and my teeny-tiny bladder) punctuated my sleep for the last weeks of my pregnancy, that I'm doing alright with this whole lack of sleep thing. I don't nap a whole lot (but feel better when I get one), and I'm still functional. But it's hard to feel like you're okay when you nearly doze off at 3:30 in the morning while breastfeeding... causing you to spaz out and jerk yourself (and your newborn, who was peacefully eating) back to a sitting position. Unfortunately, the Boppy pillow I have does not come with shock absorbers. Poor Cam.

(Oct. 26)

I love the reflection of the ceiling fan in his eye.

Just hanging out, feeding around the clock. He generally has one 4 hr period in a day where I don't have to feed him... all other times, 1 1/2-3 hours between feedings. I'm really having to watch my fluid intake to keep up. And my appetite is scaring Brian... I might be able to go head-to-head with David soon.

Weight check.

2009-10-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

Cam is back up to 6 pounds! We went to the pediatrician for a weight check yesterday morning.

That leaves 3 ounces until he's back to birth weight. Wooo...!

So, after the next feeding... :)

L & D

2009-10-20T22:43:00.000-04:00

So, I'll do a labor & delivery post (for inquiring minds); I don't mind answering gory questions (you lose your sense of modesty in labor, big-time), I just didn't want to post everything 'cause I know not everyone wants to know it all. :)

So after about 3 or 4 days of nice, 5 minute apart contractions in the evening that would go away when I laid down, I woke up at 3am on Monday morning and couldn't go back to sleep. (I had been doing this the past few days, too.) So I came downstairs, got some water and a snack, and surfed the web for a bit. Then I became worried that if I became incapacitated or something during/after labor, I don't have a power of attorney signed for Brian to take over & make decisions. So I went to Suze Orman's website and did that (I had a code already). Yay. I felt accomplished and posted about it on Martha's wall on Facebook.

Brian got up around 5/5:30, as per usual. I kinda puttered around until he left, then made my way upstairs to try and get some more sleep. Also not unusual. I took my cell phone in case anyone texted me.

At 7:01am (cell phone time) I had my first real labor contraction. I know a lot of women aren't sure exactly when their labors begin, because the contractions are irregular/weak at first and build, but I just knew. I hadn't had contractions while I was lying down before. Two more, and I called Brian and told him that he might need to come home, I'd let him know in a few minutes. He had just gotten to work (of course).

At 7:30, I called Brian and told him he needed to come home. By this time I had gotten up and was swaying around, and the contractions weren't abating. Got downstairs about when Brian got home, and we discovered Saxon had gotten poo in several rooms. I hung out (and took a belly pic) while Brian gave Saxon a bath. We threw the camera bag and some water bottles in the car, then walked around the driveway for a bit before heading to the hospital. I remember feeling like the ride went really fast, although all the bumps were VERY uncomfortable.

We got upstairs, and after puking twice in front of a whole waiting room full of people (I hadn't had anything to eat yet, so I had a lollipop in the car... bad move), we got back to Triage. After an hour of hanging out and electronic monitoring, they told us to walk around for an hour and come back (I was at 2cm). Ok. We walked around for 2 1/2 hrs... I did NOT want to go back and be told to walk around again! Second time was the charm. I was admitted around 2pm, and after getting the IV hooked up and antibiotics plugged in ('cause I'm a Group B strep carrier), they pretty much left us alone for several hours.

It was rough. We later learned Cam was trying to come out 'sunny side up' - meaning he was facing my front instead of my back (the normal, easiest position). This is known as back labor. No wonder my back felt like I had done about 50 back handsprings without stretching/warming up. Swaying and just sitting on the toilet helped some, but mostly I wanted to curl up in bed, though I tried not to.

Around 8pm, when the nurse came in to hook up the monitor again (we had taken it off... again), I asked her to check and see where I was... because if this was going to go on that much longer, I might think about an epidural. Turns out I was at 5 cm. I turned to Brian, widened my eyes, and said "6 hours for 1 cm..." I shed a few tears at this point and got a bit discouraged. My nurse was very encouraging though - "you'll dilate very quickly now, you're 100% effaced", etc. I said okay, check me in an hour. If there's not a significant change, I want an epidural, because I (and my back!!!) can't take much more of this.

Bonnie (my nurse) comes back at 9 and checks - 9cm!! I was VERY relieved (and tired). We called my midwife, Judy, who came in and broke my water (it still hadn't gone yet - I think if Cam had had it his way, he'd have been born in the freakin' sack!). We waited another hour, but I was just hanging out at 9cm. So they gave me the smallest dose of Pitocin... another hour or so* goes by with no change. Upped it to the second smallest possible dose. This is when the contractions really started getting almost unbearable. Pitocin is the devil's plaything, I'm convinced. Bonnie started getting nervous because the monitor kept losing Cam's heartbeat, but I wasn't worried; every prenatal appt we've had trouble keeping him on there for very long because he's so active. She wanted to do a scalp electrode, but I flat out rejected that... so she had to physically hold the monitor on (during a contraction, this was a *wonderful* feeling... NOT).

Long story short, I pushed for a freaking long time. It went somewhat faster after we got the squat bar set up over the base of the bed. This was the one thing I REALLY wanted to do in labor; physiologically, squatting is the best position. There were many primordial yells at this point, and I'm pretty sure I scared the hell out of Brian. My voice sounded funny for several days. :)

At some point during pushing, I spun Cam so that he was facing the right (easier!) way, and he was born at 1:25am. (I only know the time because I asked later, lol.) Judy had me lift him up onto my belly and we waited a few minutes, then Brian got to cut the cord.

Cam was very alert and very pink from the get-go. :) I got to hold him just a few minutes before they took him a few feet away to be weighed/measured/cleaned up. He got two 9's for his Apgar scores (YAY). I got cleaned up a bit, they brought him back over, and we were left alone for awhile... it was great. :) No, I didn't cry - I was relieved the whole 18 hour ordeal was over with and happy to have a hunky new boy! I was buzzed for several hours afterward... Brian crashed shortly after we got to the postpartum room. He might've been a little tired, I guess... all that hand-holding. ;)

To sum it all up: hardest thing I've ever done, hands down. Nothing anyone tells you can really prepare you for labor; it's like running a marathon without any training. Breathing exercises gave me something to focus on besides my back. Weirdly enough, it also helped when Brian smiled at me (except after the Pitocin!)... it reminded me why we were there and that there would be an end!

And a darn good one at that! :)

*My sense of time was almost non-existent in labor. I was focused on getting through a contraction and "enjoying" the rest in between... if I had done anything else, I have a feeling I might've gotten that epidural.

A brief note.

2009-10-09T07:16:00.000-04:00

Dear contractions, (you don't deserve capitalization.)

I believe the expression is CRAP OR GET OFF THE POT. Stop this crazy every-5-minutes-for-an-hour-and-a-half-then-back-way-off-but-still-wake-me-up-often-enough-to-make-good-sleep-near-impossible! Grow some cajones pronto or don't show up again until right before the debut.

I'm telling on you.

Sincerely,
Nicole

T-minus one week (and a few days)

2009-10-07T04:44:00.001-04:00

= minor meltdown.

So, I should've thought this thing out more.
"This thing" being labor & delivery.

Eight months ago, I had ideas about finding a midwife, having a home birth, being laid-back about and totally personalizing the whole process. Seven months and 29 days ago, first trimester fatigue hit me upside the head (and body). Sure, I'll accept the OBGYN practice my HMO sent me to, even though the closest office is 45 minutes away. They only deliver at one hospital that's an hour away? Fine, fine. I sit in the waiting room for 30+ minutes each time I have an appointment (once for over an hour BOTH in the waiting room and the exam room)? Don't care. Just let me go back to sleep. Poke me awake to see a picture of the jellybean.

I'm really regretting my love of sleep now (at 3 &4 am... oh, the irony). I wish I had taken the time to find an obstetrician that I really like, or at least one who didn't try to make me feel teeny-tiny for asking questions or stating that I want a Hep-lock instead of dragging around an IV pole. And while the hospital where I'm planning on delivering looks like a freaking hotel/conference center in the main areas... it's still a hospital. They still have protocols and policies that I don't agree with (continuous EFM, pitocin after delivery, etc. etc.). Interior decorating doesn't change that, and I'm rather angry with myself for letting these factors (sleep, plants in hallways, weird Jesus art) push me towards 'going with the flow' so to speak.

I guess I'm getting nervous. There's so many things that you can't plan about a birth - time, place, not to mention the method (ultimately). I'm scared that the hospital staff is going to ignore what I want to do and that I won't be in a position to make them comply. (Although hopefully I'll just turn into a heinous bitch if they ignore me. Isn't a problem normally, right? ;) ) I'm scared that because I'm a first-timer, people are going to automatically disregard/poo-poo my requests - "no, that's not what you want", "you don't know what you're talking about". I'm scared that in the throes of a contraction I'm going to accidentally say 'yes' to something that I really don't want and that's going to turn into a whole slew of things I don't want. I'm scared that I won't recognize I'm in labor early enough. Hell, I'm scared I'm going to have to kick scissors out of my doctor's hand even though I've written all over my notes 'do not cut me on pain of death'. Yup, I'm scared. I'm okay with admitting it, I'm not okay with feeling it.

I'm also tired of wondering whether/what to do if I'm in labor... I've had 30 minutes of contractions that are 5 minutes apart, and then go away (such as yesterday). At what point do I call Brian if he's at work? After I've had an hour's worth of 5 minutes apart? After 2 hours? We still have at least an hour's drive ahead of us. I do not want my kid to be known as the Greenway baby on the 5 o'clock news. I'm seriously considering just staying home - "oops!" (which I'm sure freaks the hell out of Brian).

And my OBs just smile and tell me not to worry, I'll have plenty of time... and seem to forget that I just told them I was born in under 4 hours, and my mom in under 2 or 3 (both firsts).**

One of their responses to this last bit of info? "Well, we could always help you along and induce you if it's getting close to your due date and you're dilated." (yup, verbatim.) Because I obviously need help at that point.

(**There haven't been any studies looking at mothers' & daughters' time in labor (according to one of my OBs), but I would argue genetics (size of pelvis, that whole system in general) plays a fairly big role. I, of course, have no idea what I'm talking about... because I'm young and haven't experienced labor (did I mention all of the OBs are male?). Yes, that's the smell of irony.)

Holding pattern.

2009-10-03T11:35:00.002-04:00

So. OB appointment yesterday showed... No change from last week.
Sigh.

Rationally:
* I'd like him to come out when he's ready.
* I do not want him to succumb to "wimpy white boy" syndrome... even though he wouldn't be technically premature now, the longer they cook the better (within reason, of course!).
* I like sleep.
* Enjoying baby-free time is going to be a little harder with a baby. So I should probably plant those tomatoes now and bask in baby-free 'glory' for the time being... (shopping anyone?)

Irrationally (which has been the theme of the pregnancy, yes):
* I'm amazed/freaked out by just how much my abdomen's been distorted. The circumference has already grown by more than a foot... it can stop now. I won't be upset, I promise.
* Having to sit spread-legged everywhere is getting old. I have no lap for the cats. I should have Brian videotape me bending over to pick something up, because I have a feeling watching that is going to make me laugh really hard when I can bend over again. (Generally uncomfortable.)
* I'd like my guts back, plzkthx. They've been very tolerant of the near-constant massage/lack of room (and weirdly enough, my IBS has gotten better!!?!!), but enough's enough.
* While getting a tan for pretty much the first time ever is great... I'd be happier if it were more even. And not on my face. Melasma! *shakes fist*
* This week is a bye week for the Gators... so I wouldn't have to worry about finding the game on the tv/radio if he decided to pop out today. That would be very considerate of him.

...
Also, FYI, Netflix is awesome! We just got a subscription/membership (through Upromise - so NF will deposit $12 into Monkey's account!), and are amazed at all the instantly watchable shows and movies. (Old MST3K! We watched "The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy" the other night. Quality cinema.) Brian's been watching some anime, which I now think is *great* - because he'll massage my feet & legs while watching. 3 episodes = not hurting anymore! Woohoo!

Starting work on the front flower bed - Brian dug it all up and is installing some sort of drain system because it turns into a pond whenever we get rain. After that's in, we're putting down rock and planting winter squash in some half barrels we got yesterday. Also got some tomatoes to plant (Mr. Stripey and a hybrid cherry variety).

Yay for growing things!

Small, short, and round...

2009-10-02T02:58:00.000-04:00

aka "Rolie Polie Olie". Back to the 3am postings.

Wow, I overdid it yesterday. My back was killing me pretty much all day, except for about .5 seconds when I got in the car (yay, lumbar support). Add to that on-and-off contractions, and you've got a cranky behemoth to deal with. (I recommend avoidance, personally.) But the house looks nice...

I keep wondering whether my water has broken... although I'm of the opinion that if I have to ask, then probably not. Same with "am I in labor?!?" I've got an appointment in about 9 hours though - I'll just have them check then. Occasionally I wish I'd gained more weight so I could tell more easily when my abdomen is getting "hard". The thing's a freaking rock where Monkey has his butt/hip.

Then I remember, more weight = more uncomfortable! NO THANKS! Already need help getting off the couch when I lie down on it. Seriously, either Brian helps me up or I just kind of roll off onto my hands & knees. I'll laugh about this later, but right now it's really frustrating when I'm trying to rush & get to the bathroom. Or the phone.

Going to roll back upstairs and try to sleep some...

Prep the nest!

2009-09-30T17:43:00.001-04:00

Holy crap, I'm seriously nesting.

Today I swept/vacuumed the entire house. I washed the bathroom rugs. I washed the cat beds. I trimmed and vacuumed the cat furniture. I reorganized our family room. I labeled our new (free!) Publix grocery bags. I set up the playpen. I'm thinking about finally applying the art-y glass decals on our front door windows... and/or making brownies. I also want to reorganize our kitchen (which does need to be done at some point).

Brian is outside, prepping the front flower bed. We're going to plant in containers, but we need to put down some landscape fabric and gravel first. Winter squash, yum. I think I've managed to freak him out of the house (gotta remember this one). :)

So... yeah. This feeling good thing is kind of freaking me out.
I blame it on the gorgeous weather!

Update, 9:30pm -

I applied the art-y glass panels. AND made brownies. I didn't reorganize the kitchen... but I did wash up 45678765 things that probably could've waited until tomorrow. Or the 10th of never.
*face palm*
Going to bed now before I find myself doing something else that is not vital to my everyday life...

The Name Game.

2009-09-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

So chances are if you've directly communicated with me in some form over the past 6+ months about babies, there has been mention of names. Here are my thoughts/rationale on the subject with (as always) a liberal application of sarcasm.

'Have you thought about names?' (or some variant thereof) is usually the second question people ask when you tell them you're pregnant or they assume "it's not a tumor". (The first, of course, is 'boy or girl?' - and when you answer with one, you get all kinds of *fun* responses... but that's another post.)

When you stop and think about it, what the crap kind of question is this? No. Pregnant women do not even consider names until they've had a chance to thoroughly study their babies for at least 9 months. Women in general do not have any opinions on names whatsoever until they've given birth. Oh gosh, better get on that...

Have I thought about a name... No, I've been thinking about numbers and symbols. No, I had a lobotomy last year that makes thinking a little difficult. Damn, it doesn't come with the social security number?

Then there's the less asinine variety, "What are you going to name him/her/it?" I've mentioned previously that Brian finds my viewpoint on this particular question "amusing". I think there might be a little annoyance in there, too. :) (As in, 'why can't we tell everyone if we've already settled on a name...and why did I marry this crazy woman?')

Maybe it's because I think a lot about these things but to me, words (names for things) are incredibly powerful. I don't want to name something that hasn't even been born yet... I'll pick out a name, but I won't name it. Naming a baby is a rite of passage, just like birth. Every person is birthed and named. (Thankfully, the "how are you going to birth him/her?" question is relatively infrequent. I don't usually have to explain about the incense and witch doctor...) Why would I fling the name of my future child carelessly about to anyone who asked... especially before he had actually been named?

Refusing to answer this question, even with a semi-polite (for me) "We're not telling people right now", seems to be some kind of affront to certain people - even complete strangers. Because not knowing is the most horrible thing ever, you know. And it reflects how much I dislike you on a very personal level. Most people will, however, stop asking eventually... when it becomes clearer that no, I'm really not joking. I doubt anyone's talking that much about the kid that having a name to apply to him would make their lives/conversations much easier. Hell, I can get by just fine calling him "little man", "monkey", or his codename, "Magnum"... and he's physically attached to me at the moment (not for long... not for long!).

Hmm... so I guess it boils down to me being a private person and not seeing a reason for the rest of the planet to know what we're naming our future kid. They'll have the rest of his life to know his name... let us have our time now.

Suction. (but more like suckage.)

2009-09-19T21:39:00.001-04:00

Okay, I'm done with being preggo. Today's top 3 reasons:

1. I thought I had shrunk a particular pair of shorts too much (or something), so I went upstairs to change them before watching the Gator game... nope. Little man just keeps gaining weight and is sitting low enough to make sitting ~~like a lady~~ with my knees closer than 10" to each other next to impossible. Lumbar spine's loving all this, by the way. I now officially have one skirt and one pair of yoga pants that let me sit comfortably.

2. I'm having actual contractions now; while they aren't particularly scream-inducing, they're just painful (and occasional - had 3 today) enough to get really f'ing annoying and make me cranky (not that that's hard). A little different from Braxton-Hicks, which just feel weird (belly gets all tense, but there's no pain).

3. Brian & I went for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner/the game and little man pulled the trick of shifting so that he was laying on a nerve or something. For about 100 feet, it was extremely slow going... because I couldn't walk semi-normally. (Yup, I'm a waddler now.) Gah, radiating leg pain. The one other time he's done this, we were about to enter Target, in front of 345678765 thousand people... that was fun. (LoL)

Good things about today:
* I made macaroni & cheese (with broccoli) and froze it. Yay, 4 more meals. (I think that brings us up to 27 two-person meals, if my figuring's right.)
* Lane Kiffin can suck it. (Dude, you can trash-talk, but be sure to bring your A-game. This is the SEC.)
* Brian discovered the house has network cable running to pretty much every room. So that media PC shouldn't require him drilling a hole in the wall... (yay!).

Other funny tidbit to share:
Brian and I were talking about fetuses' legal status as people (or rather, not), and he said something about how pro-life people would feel differently than I do about it. To which I replied, "Well, they can [frustratedly searching for some kind of comeback] ...go suck an egg." The funny part being I didn't quite get what I had said until Brian shook his head, smirked, and said "That's bad, honey..." :)

I can still plead placental shunting... for now.

Calfs and ankles unite!

2009-09-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

We went to the "midwife" yesterday... turns out the same doc as last time was filling in for her (hope she's not sick or something!). Everything looks good, blood pressure is still excellent. But that's not the most exciting news. :-D

I've gained 4 lbs.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, magical Rice Krispie Treats... thank you. Although in all actuality, it was bound to happen... I mean, little man's main job up 'til his debut is adding a nice, healthy layer of baby fat. I should reasonably expect to gain weight. Now to just deal with that extra four pounds hanging out, bouncing on my bladder and stretching out my spine... The bump is now large (and low) enough so I can't really wear the back support belt-thing (the elastic-velcro monster, as I call it) comfortably anymore. Sorry lumbar spine, you're S.O.L.! And of course, there's the whole ankles & feet on revolt thing... apparently they don't like carrying an extra 20 lbs., so they need to accumulate extra fluid on a regular basis.

So begins the Cankle Revolt of '09!

Episode VI: Return of the Hormone(s).

2009-09-09T20:07:00.002-04:00

When someone goes in for the first prenatal appointment of their second trimester, they need to be handed a piece of paper with Admiral Ackbar's picture on it.

Second trimester = smooth sailing. You start feeling better, you're finally showing but aren't so big you're uncomfortable 24/7, mood swings become a distant memory. (Maybe even your libido comes back.) In other words, this is the fun time. You're hesitant at first, thinking that you're just having a few good days in a row. As days become weeks, however, you become more confident. Pregnancy "symptoms"? You're not suffering! It's great!

Cue week 29. (Otherwise known as the aforementioned Episode VI.) Suddenly, symptoms from months ago are back with a vengeance. Bending over involves nausea again, but this time from internal organ compression. That is, when you can bend over. Mood swings? Try mood tsunami.

All is quiet as hormone levels rise... with no indication of impending disaster unless you have some advanced seismological warning equipment (this may be a worthwhile investment, dads-to-be... unless you like wearing a cup). Then, BAM! You're doing something inane, like watching your cat chatter at the lizards outside (he'll never learn), and start crying because your husband hasn't read that book you got from the library, like, a million years ago. And/or you want to yell/scream/hit/throw things at him. Sometimes you do, and then feel horribly guilty and cry all over again. So of course, you can't sleep, because you now can't breathe through your nose... on top of your lungs being about the size of a kumquat.

Makes one all nostalgic for 6 months ago, when you just had to carry around tissues and a wastebasket...

?!

2009-09-08T13:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Whatever Deity in the Sky I Feel like Addressing at the Moment,

Please explain to me why my boobs have to get even bigger. What did my husband do to warrant such a reward and what can I do to top it? Wasn't two cup sizes enough?!

Reply by email would be best (or just comment on the post, plzkthxbai).

P.S. If we name the kid after you, will you relent?

The Good, the Bad...

2009-09-04T02:50:00.007-04:00

...and the hormonal. You can really tell the progression of hormones through these lists, I think. Weepy grateful -> weepy angry/disturbed -> angry/P.O.'ed. Oh well. Them's the brakes when it's 3am and you can't sleep. And little man's discovered the trick of wedging a foot at the TOP of my uterus! :) (Incredibly comfortable, oh yes.) Trying to focus on the good right now (there's more, I just can't think of them at the moment)... I've just had a rough week.

Good things about being pregnant:
*Smiles from strangers (or friends and family, lol)
*Getting help lifting/moving things without having to ask half the time
*Feeling sexy with a belly
*Feeling little man kick/respond when you talk to him
*Finding that one person who gets it: "The baby's getting bigger! How wonderful!" not "Wow, you're getting huge..."
*People who ask politely before they touch your belly.
*When the cats curl up around my belly and start purring.
*Friends who let me vent/have a complete meltdown, and then talk about non-baby-related things.
*Always having dibs on the last bit of anything.
*Brian being willing to pick up food on the way home, no questions asked.

Bad things about being pregnant:
*People commenting to Brian how he is "making" me do things like climb stairs. Because, of course, I don't have free will...nor am I two feet away at the time.
*Lack of sleep and comfortable sleeping positions.
*"So you've got what, two weeks left?" (with more than six to go); "Are you sure it's not twins?" (for the fifty-millionth time... not funny anymore); "You need to eat more, you're not big enough."; "So you're about ready to be done, right?"; "Lose some weight, fatty." (even in jest, not funny.)
*Hearing random birth stories. Luckily, most of our friends don't have kids/haven't been pregnant yet. But hearing Brian's boss/manager/[insert appropriate term here] talk about how his wife's OB had to manually strip her membranes to induce labor was a LITTLE DISTURBING. If she were present, I doubt he'd be talking about fingers in her vagina so recklessly (or I hope not!). Did I mention I had just met him 30 seconds prior to this story?
*People who think it's their god-given right to stroll up and molest my bump. If you jiggle it, it does hurt - thanks!
*Feeling guilty about not doing things (work, writing, etc.) that I wanted to get done because fatigue has set in again.
*Feeling completely hormonal and yet completely justified getting upset with some of the things people do/say.
*People bugging me about the name, or insinuating/telling me either that a) they have every right to know or b) that they're going "to get it out" of me eventually. Yeah, when the kid's born. Until then, shut up about it. (I'll leave it at that for now, since I'm going to write a post about names too. Brian finds my take on them... amusing.)
*People assuming pregnancy/babies are all I want to talk about/think about.
*Commenting on how hairy my belly's getting. Really. Because pregnant women aren't at all self-conscious or hormonal at times.
*Men commenting on 'how women complain too much about pregnancy, especially when they [women] wanted to be pregnant in the first place'. Until they (the men) have attached a bowling ball inside their pelvis (and drug it around for 4+ months), had leaky pec implants without stretching skin first, had their ankles and knees swollen (like something out of 'Misery'), been constipated for weeks on end (sorry to get graphic), AND been sunshine-y perky throughout all of this - STFU. Those same hormones that make them protective about their pitiful excuse for testicles can make pregnant women feel like hell (or worse).

Ode to puffed rice + corn syrup + butter...

2009-09-01T20:25:00.001-04:00

...and practicing blogging with pictures. You know, for two months from now when I start posting pictures of this. (Have to, we decided in the car today. Tailor-made for us.)

The nursery is now more-or-less complete. The walls still look a little bare (waiting on pictures from Kim - like Emo Gorilla!), and we still need to get ceiling hooks for the hot air balloon and also the awesome mobile from Katie & Colin, but... the furniture's all there. We got a dresser (solid pine!) at IKEA that doubles perfectly as a changing table. The bassinet was actually made by my grandparents when I was born. And the crib (with organic mattress!) is all set up... probably was the hardest piece to select.

We had an OB appointment today... that Brian went to! The doctor (who had the personality of dry toast the first (and only other) time I met him) actually made eye contact with me this time, and sat down to answer my questions... and basically didn't rush out of the room 30 seconds after coming in. We left, and Brian said, "Wow, I see what you were talking about." No idea that it was 400% better than last time... I'm wondering if it was because Brian was there. I'm hoping the midwife's on call when I go in. *grumble*

Everything's measuring well. I asked specifically about my weight, because I still haven't broken 130 (I was so sure I was going to :( ). It's been pretty much all bump & boobs for me... though I suppose if I start gloating now, I'll put on two lbs a week for the remainder of my sentence. :) Doc said the kid's going to get what he needs, and the only reason they even give weight guidelines is so many people put on too much weight during pregnancy. He doesn't see a problem with my weight now, as long as I keep eating healthily.

In light of that last adverb...

Since I've recently been known to eat 1/2 or 2/3 of a 13x9 pan of Rice Krispie treats throughout the course of a single day, I've decided to counter my addiction to them. With... fruit smoothies. We'll see how successful that is, given that the sweet airy crunch of marshmallow-y goodness can make me wake up at 3am and sneak downstairs for a bite... or two (thousand). Wish me luck!

Food is good. More food is better...

2009-08-28T15:48:00.004-04:00

...except if you're part of a Monty Python sketch.

So today has been immensely productive. My back hasn't been totally killing me. Little man wasn't kicking the crap out of me this morning (although he started up after lunch). My feet have been relatively happy in memory foam slippers. I really hope this isn't the "nesting" thing they were talking about as a precursor to labor... or if it is, that it lasts about 5 more weeks. Yay for having energy.

Ergo, I've been able to get the following made and stored in the freezer: 12 quarts of beef stew; 4-ish quarts of chicken with forty cloves of garlic (made into a stew); 4 foil packet dinners of chicken, rice, tomatoes, & artichokes; 4 foil packets of sour cream & mushroom chicken and rice; and 32 meatballs (YUM). Still have cheesy tomato-basil chicken packets to make. This might feed us for a few days after the kid's born. Might.

I remembered to get some ingredients to make lasagna & ziti, but for some reason forgot the all-important tomato sauce at the store yesterday, so that's going to have to wait a few days. Chili and mac & cheese (with broccoli) are also on the agenda. Maybe banana nut bread if I can keep any bananas in the house for more than 2 days.

See universe? This is what happens when you allow me a good day! Do it more often! :)

Also made chocolate walnut oatmeal bars last night for Brian to take into work today. He also got a raise today. Coincidence? I think not... Perhaps I should bake more often. I wonder what would happen if I made the über peanut butter crunchy brownies...

Participial phrases, my favorite fragment.

2009-08-26T11:41:00.003-04:00

Some adjectives/participial phrases for the past few days:

sluggish, achy, irritable, not wanting to think about how much I hate the medical rigamarole that goes into having a baby, getting PO'd tried to figure out whether I'm having a contraction or little man's just stretching (which distends the belly in *two* directions now), worried because I don't think I can tell the difference, enjoying the lack of crying around the house, attempting to not get swine flu even though there have been people in the area with it and my nose has been running

I think that covers it for now.

Quick update.

2009-08-20T15:13:00.005-04:00

Yesterday = horrendous backache, all day. Spent probably 2 1/2 hours in the tub (in two increments), which helped a little. (This kid is definitely growing...) Today = headache brewing.

Also:
The baby shower last Saturday = awesome. Totally worth missing my nap. ;) So many great people and so much good food! And I was freaking overwhelmed by the stuff people gave! We have to get a few little things, but the kid is basically set for now. Thank you cards are in the works. It was really nice to see everyone who could be there, and I'm glad the guys had a good time at laser tag (I know Brian was really looking forward to that). :) I hope the girls had a good time, too!

Random thoughts from yesterday/today:

* Kudos to Brian & me for instilling such UF pride in the kid, but he really needs to stop performing a full body chomp. Seriously. It's weird enough when I'm sitting down reading, but eating? C'mon kid, I'm trying to feed you.

* Every time I hear "Nicoderm," I think of elephants... "Pachyderm CQ. For your unhealthy addiction to thick-skinned hoofed mammals." This is the price you pay for having a mindlink, apparently. (Kim!)

* Someone in Publix (it's always Publix) asked me if I "knew what I was having" last night. I said puppies, although I must confess I did think about lying and saying it was a tumor. :)

Where's Sean Connery when you need him?

2009-08-03T20:24:00.002-04:00

Still growing ever bigger; we've past the point of being comfortable anywhere outside a large tub of fluid. I'm seriously considering yelling at the obstetrician tomorrow about the whole iron supplement thing. (My iron level at the last appointment was slightly - and I mean slightly - low, so I got prescribed a new prenatal vitamin (which has iron), plus iron supplements. I'm happy with the Flintstones, thanks... but I took a few of the sample iron pills, and they have kinked up my intestines within an inch of my neck. No more - just bring on the burgers!) I was doing fine where I was, being responsible about my diet/nutrition, thanks. So what if Moonpies played a role in my plan? (Yes, just kidding.)

The crib arrived today. I opened the box downstairs and carried it up to the nursery piece by piece... then decided to put it together by myself (to save Brian the trouble, of course). It took me about two hours, most of which was spent matching the frillion and five parts to the illustrations in the instructions and then interpreting what they actually meant. Had it all set up with sheets and bumpers when Brian got home, which was the goal. :)

I had another one of those "oh yeah, we're actually having a baby" moments while setting up said crib. It was weird, because we've been buying stuff (clothes, diapers, etc.) for a month and a half now, the room's been painted, I've BEEN getting kicked in the guts for the past three months... and it's finally really dawned on me in the last week or so that soon we will be responsible for creating a small child - oh yeah, and taking care of it. Maybe it's because I finished up July's budget...

Baby shower's coming up soon - I'm SO EXCITED to see everyone & have everyone over. :) There's still 2 rooms left to paint, but whatever. The garden'll probably have to wait until after the party, but it will get done this month, too.

So now it boils down to... The Wait for Mid-October.

Light rant. Very light.

2009-07-24T14:42:00.002-04:00

Yup, another rant. This one's brief, I promise.

I think Baby Einstein stuff is ridiculous (esp. the videos!). Right up there with Baby Mozart... which is based off an unreproducible (even by the authors) study of college students doing spatial tasks. Anyone else getting the disconnect?

Also on the list of things to be laughed at: products such as this one. Sure, educate your kid in the womb. I have no beef with that idea... obviously fetuses are building lots of connections and developing their brains in ways we can only begin to understand.

But there are many easier ways to do this without forking over hard-earned dough to corporations whose products continue to remain unfounded at best. Normal, everyday noises are heard and processed... for example voices. This kid better be born knowing all the words to "Hot-Blooded" by Foreigner and be able to perfectly imitate Gwen meowing at the top of her lungs, that's all I'm going to say.

Exposing the kid to light also helps brain development. Here's an article (originally appearing in Scientific American) which mentions light being important in brain lateralization (last page).

Of course, exposing the kid to light has the added advantage of keeping him up during the day so he doesn't kick me so much at night. Minor detail.

Omphaloskepsis.

2009-07-21T17:37:00.002-04:00

Maybe it's just because I'm really tired (and trying to keep myself from napping), but I find myself waxing philosophic/contemplative about... my belly button.

I liked my belly button. A lot. It was cool - not cavernously deep, not irritatingly shallow. Nice star pattern, never collected lint like gangbusters... as some apparently do.

I feel more ambiguous about it now. As my belly started blowing up like a balloon, it became shallower and shallower... which was fine. Then came the day a corner of it poked out, so it looked a little lopsided. Fine, fine. I thought it looked like it had a lisp (because if it were a mouth, its mouth would be crooked... don't ask). The lisp became larger and larger...

Now, it's pretty much all hanging out. And because it's so much more forward than it was 7 months ago, it gets hit by things. A lot. You can only do that so many times without stopping and "appreciating" just how delicate/sensitive an area your belly button area really is.

I mean, think about it. This is the section of your torso that once had a split in the abdominal wall so that you could get all of your nutrients through the tube that connected you with your mom. Is it not now amusing in some sick way that as I'm returning the favor for the next generation, the remnant of my own gestation is getting abused - inside and out?

Time to toughen up, I guess.

What To Expect ... when you're ranting!

2009-07-15T16:41:00.007-04:00

I find it very frustrating that the #1 pregnancy book in America (referred to by some as the "pregnancy bible") is penned by someone whose sole authoring credential is having been pregnant herself. While I admire Heidi Murkoff for turning out a bookshelf's worth of books, and turning herself into a pregnancy guru (preguru?), "What To Expect When You're Expecting" is not a worthwhile read. Among my peeves:

* "Mood swings" are classified under "depression". I've had mood swings that are depressing, sure - but most are more like "rage" or "mania". Depress that. (Does this post count as a "rage" episode?? Hmm, maybe.)

* Any of this information can be found online. In multiple places. With multiple authors. Sound like common sense to anyone else? Use your brain (and your internet connection), and save yourself some $$.

* What the crap is up with laying on the guilt trips?
While not confined to this book (the "Skinny Bitch" book dealing with pregnancy is another notable offender - although interesting look into food standards), it's intensely irritating to have your actions questioned just because they deviate from mainstream advice.
-Yes, eat your vegetables. No sh*t. But what if the sight of something green on your plate makes you sick? I'm not hoping to star in a bulimia documentary here. I eat what I want, and what I eat I want to stay down. Any doctor will tell you a fetus is a very efficient parasite; any nutritional deficiency is going to be felt first & foremost by -your- body, not the kid's.
-Sleeping only on your left side? What fun. Yes, I'm mentally retarding my fetus by choosing not to get bed sores/a sore back/sore hips and sleeping on my right side when I feel like it. It's hard enough to get comfortable as it is, thanks.
-Exercise, or you'll have a rough, long labor and be completely unprepared for motherhood. How about listening to your body? When I don't feel like moving, I don't. When I feel like moving, get the heck out of my way or get run over. I'm enjoying doing nothing while I can.
-Alcohol is only for women who want autistic/underachieving/ADD/evil kids! If I want a sip of wine/beer, I'm going to have it. Eff off. Fetal alcohol syndrome should (rightly) concern binge drinkers. However, a taste of wine does not a binge drinker make. Kidney (read: urine) output increases so much during pregnancy, that kid isn't ever going to get near that mouthful of zinfandel.

* Again, not confined to this book: weight obsession. "You should gain...". Suck it, "experts". I really don't care (though I'd be pretty uncomfortable) if I gain 40+ lbs. Your body is going to gain what it should gain... unless you have a medical condition (celiac, thyroid, etc.) - stop worrying!

(Full disclosure: I do not own (and refuse to own) a copy of this book. My impressions are based on 10 minutes of skimming done at Barnes & Noble. I reserve the right to taunt anyone who thinks this book is ..."handy".)

Top Ten.

2009-07-14T17:25:00.002-04:00

Top Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting Pregnant

1 - Sleep will never be the same. Just when you think you have your nightly pee breaks more or less planned out, things will change. Don't plan on sleeping for more than 4 hours at a stretch... EVER.

2 - Get abs. If only to help with the increased strain on your back.

3 - Invest in Q-tips and Puffs. Oodles of boogers is something you never get used to.

4 - Practice more yoga. Breathing and learning to support your organs while moving (& under pressure) is invaluable.

5 - Enjoy bending over without sounding like you're deflating or grunting like pig while you can. Unloading the dishwasher, putting on shoes, and feeding the cats become much more difficult with a basketball on top of your intestines.

6 - Don't plan any projects that require dragging your butt off the couch for the 1st four months. This includes packing. And cooking.

7 - Reconcile yourself with feeling useless. Enjoy other people helping you!

8 - Adult diapers can actually be useful... if only as motivators to do your Kegel exercises.

9 - All those pregnancy books really aren't kidding when they say "tender, swollen" boobs. CRAZY. OW. Don't buy too many bras of one size. Invest in bra extenders.

10 - Hide being pregnant as long as you can. Total strangers think it's their business to stop you and ask all about your pregnancy/fetus/what child-rearing techniques you'll use. Nunya, weirdos. Nunya. Did I mention the "total strangers" part??!

***
In other news, I went to CVS looking for a stethoscope today, so -I- could hear little man's heartbeat. Theoretically, other people can hear it without the aid of one, but putting an ear to my own belly is proving to be... difficult.

CVS only sells stethoscopes packaged with blood pressure cuffs. And because we're all idiots and can't follow instructions, they screw the chestpiece to the actual cuff. Luckily, this is easily freed & dealt with. Finding his heartbeat was a little more challenging, but not too bad.

There's a rave in my abdomen. Or a darn good impression of one.

Assume the fetal position... and stay that way!

2009-07-07T08:38:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a bit rough.

Little man decided it would be fun to sit/stretch out/godknowswhat so that at least one foot was constantly behind my bellybutton. For HOURS. Headbutting of the ribs has also increased.

The small cool part to this was lying on the couch and being able to press & then feel his foot.

However, this was in no way comfortable - no laughing, no breathing, and no bending over without getting a sharp little poke behind the already stretched out & tender area. HahaOw. It was *all* the more fun when he moved... all the time.

Brett said he was trying to use the emergency escape hatch.

Um.... no.

Pressure's building.

2009-07-02T09:42:00.000-04:00

I wonder how long this is going to go on.

I go to bed at night, thinking "Holy crap, how do I get any bigger than this?! I'm HUGE!" In the morning I wake up and think, "You know, I'm really not all that big..."

Maybe I roll over in the middle of the night and squash him back in on himself. Forget CERN's hadron collider, people should really be worried about the end of the universe starting when my belly implodes.

I'm thinking one's about as likely to happen as the other.

Sleep modification module... complete.

2009-06-26T06:41:00.002-04:00

Um... yeah. I was up an hour ago. At 5:30. AM. BEFORE Brian.

And while eating breakfast with said husband, it could arguably have been said that I was "perky".

If you know anything about me, this is setting off alarm bells in your head right about now.

(WTF mate!)

Head shots.

2009-06-25T09:46:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I was sitting in our reclining chair in the family room with my shirt pulled up, just watching my belly. I like to do that, since you can now see the abuse my internal organs are receiving.

Little boy is hammering on me pretty well - got his feet kicking my left side, arms/hands just under the belly button - when the right section of my belly suddenly begins to distend. (Yes, it looked really weird.)

So I put my hand on top of it and lo and behold - it was round! And hard! Then the kicking stopped and I was able to relax for a few seconds of peace.

And my first thought was, "This little turd is headbutting me!"

For the record, it was still pretty cool.

The Stealth Hippie

Our Yule card!

#1: Boo-beee!

Refocusing.

Rock. Out.

Reasons Why Chucklebutt is My Kid.

Our Yule Card

The Glamorous Life of Mom.

Things That Make Me Go "Arrrgh."

Farmward Bound.

Dear Future Self. (Take Two: Revenge of the Giggles.)

Dear Future Self.

Pssssss...t.

The post where US maternal care makes me a witch. With a B.

And a bunny rabbit covered in pastry.

Parenting? Hard? What?

More food pictures.

Coupons and the Pursuit of Happiness

The post where I use CAPS a lot.

Ergo.

Happy One Year Blog-a-versary!

To poke or not to poke.

Those boots were made for walking...

Happenings.

What I Choose to *ahem* Do.

Taking inventory:

The "method" post.

Sharper than a serpent's tooth!

Never put off 'til tomorrow...

Bad ideas.

Friday Food Porn.

Bed time.

The dirty (five) dozen.

A new, weekly feature.

A day in the life of a six-month-old.

A letter to my little man.

Oh my god, Becky, listen to his cough...

Things I Am Grateful For...

A few days: past & future.

Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde.

Zen and the Art of Parenthood.

Feeding patterns of the wild newborn.

Misguided conceit?

Banana-licking, and other giggles.

The last few days, in pictures.

Warning Label for Babies.

Buying teething toys is pointless.

Better groceries for less $$.

Rock-tastic interlude.

Old news (if it's news that I'm old).

The Balmex Finger.

Drilling? No, that's purring you're thinking of.

Baby. The other other white meat.

Pourquoi, Maman?

Hat dropping in 5, 4, 3...

Quote of the week.

Weighty.

Houston, we have sleep cycle.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

The new Tim Tebow...

Happy Turkey Day!

November daze...

Back up our claims? Um... no.

What's my name again?

Chunky monkey gets snipped.

Losing my REM.

Weight check.

L & D

A brief note.

T-minus one week (and a few days)

Holding pattern.

Small, short, and round...

Prep the nest!

The Name Game.

Suction. (but more like suckage.)

Calfs and ankles unite!

Episode VI: Return of the Hormone(s).

?!

The Good, the Bad...

Ode to puffed rice + corn syrup + butter...

What I Choose to ahem Do.