It seems hard to believe there is a subject matter that I would hesitate to write about. If you read my previous post you understand what I mean. I wrote an entire post on my right boob. Really. Read it. It's all about my boob.
What is it that causes me such inner turmoil that I am nervous as I am sitting here in our office space writing this? I'm fumbling for the right words to use. How do I break this news? I can hardly believe it myself. I tell myself that it is temporary and that I am at the core the same person. But am I?
My friends' husband is in the same boat as am I. We are both shocked by our actions but it seemed like the only answer. I have a sneaking suspicion he is not shouting from the rooftops what he did anymore than I am. This is as close to rooftop shouting as I get.
I'm not completely aware of the issues at hand but I do know that there is one outcome that I would find utterly unacceptable. Once I write about this there is no going back. By putting forth what I have done there is no denying it. I may lose friends over it. Well, I won't lose friends but I have a feeling I may receive a frantic phone call from my brother Joel. Maybe this will be what it takes to actually cause a rift between me and my brothers. I do not want a rift but this is so incredibly huge that...
Well, I'm just going to have to kill the suspense because at the rate I'm going you may think I'm going to prison or something. (If my brother could have his way he would probably lock me up until after November).
Ooh, was that some foreshadowing or what?
Yes, my actions are related to politics.
On this past Saturday, February the 9th, 2008 at 1:00 in the afternoon I caucused. I caucused as a Democrat.
Yes, my Republican readership, I jumped ship if only for a moment. Although I do not have to explain myself to anyone I want to. To my family: do not disown me. Ike, don't turn me into CPS as I'm sure you think I'm unfit to parent if I have any persuasions of a Democrat.
I caucused as a Democrat for Barack Obama because he seems like an agent of change because he is putting forth the word that the agents of change are we the people not the government and he is relatively speaking, new to politics. The other reason I caucused for Obama is because I know a democrat is going to win the election in the Fall and I'll be damned if it is going to be Hilary Clinton. I viewed my actions as much a statement for Barack Obama as a statement against Hilary Clinton.
For those of you who did not caucus I must say you missed out on an incredible event. Everyone I talked to said it was such a great feeling to be so connected to one's community and see the massive turnout. Ryan and I drove to our caucus site only to turn around and drive home and walk back as there was no parking anywhere near the school. People were out in droves walking to the school. From our precinct Barack Obama received 6 of the delegate votes and Hilary Clinton received 1. It sounded like that was the case for the other precincts as well.
I had to bite my tongue as the Democratic Reps talked about the gubernatorial race and how close it was last time and how they didn't want a repeat. If you don't live in Washington are not aware of the race 4 years ago between Governor Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi it came down to 33 or so votes.
Dino Rossi won the first vote. It was close so a recount was ordered. Gregoire's share of votes increased as ballots were discovered as 'lost'. Dino Rossi won the recount. But Gregoire wanted another count. More ballots were miraculously discovered. She won the third and final count. Best one out of three wins, I guess.
It is time for me to turn my attention to a book I have upstairs on vaccinations as Gavin is due for some shots. I want to be well informed before I have him injected with who-knows-what. I'm reading a book recommended to me by my doctor. When I'm done with that book I may turn my attention back to politics so I can read up and become a better informed voter for this Fall.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
On the Mend
WARNING: This post contains information about health issues. Female health issues (visualize one raised eyebrow and pursed lips here, and perhaps a pinkie finger in the corner of my mouth). That was a Dr. Evil reference for you pop culturally challenged folk. Male readers you may not be comfortable reading this although I think you are a wuss if you can't handle reading it.
Not so long ago I wrote a post about a medical problem that I had. After I posted it and a few brave souls read it I decided it was too graphic so I deleted it. Since the problem has not gone away I thought I would write a new post about it as it is kind of an all consuming issue right now.
In the beginning there was a lump. The lump was in my breast, from here on out referred to as 'boob' or 'mammary gland' or 'female accessory' or 'body part that formerly was the object of man's desire' (of course access was granted to only one man) or 'body part whose sole function is to nourish my son'.
I went in for an ultrasound of said lump in said boob. The ultrasound turned into a mammogram, which ladies is a real kick in the pants, which turned into a biopsy.
Good news: the results were negative. The lump is a fibroadenoma which does not increase my chances of developing breast cancer.
Just a few days after the biopsy the site started to look suspiciously infected. I called the Breast Center and spoke to a grumpy on call doctor who prescribed some antibiotics for me to take. The antibiotics appeared to work. Then the steri-strips came off. Then the milk came out.
Yep.
Milk.
Biopsy site.
Out.
Leaky boobs are normal for the lactating woman. Leaking milk out of a hole in the side of your boob is not normal. I repeat: NOT normal.
I went in to see my doctor. She had never seen the leakiness of the boob. She called a surgeon to get his advice. His advice was dermabond (like super glue) or stitches. We opted for dermabond. Just dab on a bit 'o glue and stop the milk.
OR
Seal in the infection.
Apparently milk is a great food for bacteria.
Massive infection ensued that was accompanied by chills and hot flashes and sweating and muscle aches. My doctor said it was the worst she had ever seen. With her help we cleared up the infection with a 17 day course of antibiotics that I had to take 4 times a day.
That is not the end of the story. The infection cleared but my doctor sent me off to see a surgeon whom I saw 3 times in a period of a week. Surgery was not indicated but it was recommended that I quit breast feeding when I had to go back to the surgeon to have him re-open the biopsy site because the exterior wound (exit site) was healing over before the interior damage (perforated milk duct) was healing. So, the milk that was being produced was just accumulating in the breast tissue and had no where to go.
So, I went to a nurse practitioner at the Breast Center where they did the biopsy in the first place. She is going to see me until the whole thing is healed. She had to make the exit wound really big to make sure it didn't heal before the inside healed. After that she cleaned it out and packed it with gauze. Sometime in the middle of the night the gauze and other goodies came out of the new and improved gaping wound that was created. The nurse practitioner was astounded by the goodies and she cultured said goodies. Goodies came back as harmless. The following days visit was much better. There were no more goodies and the rinsing of the wound and stuffing of the gauze didn't hurt.
Now for the good news: I saw the nurse practitioner today and after inspection of the healing site that is NO LONGER LEAKING MILK she said I don't have to go back to see her for one whole month. A whole month without seeing a doctor, surgeon or nurse practitioner! I've had 8 follow up visits (excluding the initial mammogram and biopsy appointments) for the fallout (literally - ha!) of the biopsy that I had 2 days after Christmas.
That is more than you will ever want to know about me I'm sure but it is much, much less graphic than the original post so you can thank me for editing it. : )
Not so long ago I wrote a post about a medical problem that I had. After I posted it and a few brave souls read it I decided it was too graphic so I deleted it. Since the problem has not gone away I thought I would write a new post about it as it is kind of an all consuming issue right now.
In the beginning there was a lump. The lump was in my breast, from here on out referred to as 'boob' or 'mammary gland' or 'female accessory' or 'body part that formerly was the object of man's desire' (of course access was granted to only one man) or 'body part whose sole function is to nourish my son'.
I went in for an ultrasound of said lump in said boob. The ultrasound turned into a mammogram, which ladies is a real kick in the pants, which turned into a biopsy.
Good news: the results were negative. The lump is a fibroadenoma which does not increase my chances of developing breast cancer.
Just a few days after the biopsy the site started to look suspiciously infected. I called the Breast Center and spoke to a grumpy on call doctor who prescribed some antibiotics for me to take. The antibiotics appeared to work. Then the steri-strips came off. Then the milk came out.
Yep.
Milk.
Biopsy site.
Out.
Leaky boobs are normal for the lactating woman. Leaking milk out of a hole in the side of your boob is not normal. I repeat: NOT normal.
I went in to see my doctor. She had never seen the leakiness of the boob. She called a surgeon to get his advice. His advice was dermabond (like super glue) or stitches. We opted for dermabond. Just dab on a bit 'o glue and stop the milk.
OR
Seal in the infection.
Apparently milk is a great food for bacteria.
Massive infection ensued that was accompanied by chills and hot flashes and sweating and muscle aches. My doctor said it was the worst she had ever seen. With her help we cleared up the infection with a 17 day course of antibiotics that I had to take 4 times a day.
That is not the end of the story. The infection cleared but my doctor sent me off to see a surgeon whom I saw 3 times in a period of a week. Surgery was not indicated but it was recommended that I quit breast feeding when I had to go back to the surgeon to have him re-open the biopsy site because the exterior wound (exit site) was healing over before the interior damage (perforated milk duct) was healing. So, the milk that was being produced was just accumulating in the breast tissue and had no where to go.
So, I went to a nurse practitioner at the Breast Center where they did the biopsy in the first place. She is going to see me until the whole thing is healed. She had to make the exit wound really big to make sure it didn't heal before the inside healed. After that she cleaned it out and packed it with gauze. Sometime in the middle of the night the gauze and other goodies came out of the new and improved gaping wound that was created. The nurse practitioner was astounded by the goodies and she cultured said goodies. Goodies came back as harmless. The following days visit was much better. There were no more goodies and the rinsing of the wound and stuffing of the gauze didn't hurt.
Now for the good news: I saw the nurse practitioner today and after inspection of the healing site that is NO LONGER LEAKING MILK she said I don't have to go back to see her for one whole month. A whole month without seeing a doctor, surgeon or nurse practitioner! I've had 8 follow up visits (excluding the initial mammogram and biopsy appointments) for the fallout (literally - ha!) of the biopsy that I had 2 days after Christmas.
That is more than you will ever want to know about me I'm sure but it is much, much less graphic than the original post so you can thank me for editing it. : )
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
World Peace Begins With Me
It's 11:38 pm. Gavin didn't sleep well last night therefore I did not sleep well last night. He took a short nap this morning and I also took a short nap this morning. He slept while I was at the library and at the department of vital statistics getting his birth certificate. He has nodded off a few times this evening but woke up each time I put him back in his swing to go to sleep.
Grr.
He's almost 4 months old and he still does not sleep through the night. I can count on one hand the number of times Gavin slept 6 hours at night since he was born. I can count on the other hand the number of times I have slept over 6 hours because Ryan was able to feed him stored breast milk at night. That totals 10 or less nights of decent sleep since freakin' October!
He won't sleep in his cradle, he won't sleep in his co-sleeper, and he won't sleep in his Pack 'n Play. He will sleep sometimes in his bouncy chair. He will sleep in his car seat if you swing him to sleep. He sleeps every night in his swing.
We are not letting him sleep in bed with us because the mattress is still too soft.
Our next move is to put the swing in our bedroom.
He is in his swing right now. Fussing. Sucking on his hands because he wants something to do. I read him books, I changed his diaper, I fed him. I fed him some more and to make certain I fed him again. The hair dryer is on, a sound that normally lulls him off to sleep. I have tried bouncing the swing by gently pushing the top of it as that adds a nice bit of motion that he craves so much.
NOTHING IS WORKING!!!
We are doing the Attachment Parenting - the kind where you feed on demand, hold the baby a lot, don't let it 'cry it out'. It is not easy. Not at all.
I have to go now. His fussiness is turning especially fussy and is going to turn ugly any minute.
If you pray one prayer today, let it be for me. Forget world peace. We all know it's not going to happen. We do know that Gavin will one day sleep through the night. Just pray that it will be sooner than later. This may seem like a selfish request but a well rested happy April is much better equipped to be nice to the rest of the world so really, a prayer for me is a prayer for the world.
Grr.
He's almost 4 months old and he still does not sleep through the night. I can count on one hand the number of times Gavin slept 6 hours at night since he was born. I can count on the other hand the number of times I have slept over 6 hours because Ryan was able to feed him stored breast milk at night. That totals 10 or less nights of decent sleep since freakin' October!
He won't sleep in his cradle, he won't sleep in his co-sleeper, and he won't sleep in his Pack 'n Play. He will sleep sometimes in his bouncy chair. He will sleep in his car seat if you swing him to sleep. He sleeps every night in his swing.
We are not letting him sleep in bed with us because the mattress is still too soft.
Our next move is to put the swing in our bedroom.
He is in his swing right now. Fussing. Sucking on his hands because he wants something to do. I read him books, I changed his diaper, I fed him. I fed him some more and to make certain I fed him again. The hair dryer is on, a sound that normally lulls him off to sleep. I have tried bouncing the swing by gently pushing the top of it as that adds a nice bit of motion that he craves so much.
NOTHING IS WORKING!!!
We are doing the Attachment Parenting - the kind where you feed on demand, hold the baby a lot, don't let it 'cry it out'. It is not easy. Not at all.
I have to go now. His fussiness is turning especially fussy and is going to turn ugly any minute.
If you pray one prayer today, let it be for me. Forget world peace. We all know it's not going to happen. We do know that Gavin will one day sleep through the night. Just pray that it will be sooner than later. This may seem like a selfish request but a well rested happy April is much better equipped to be nice to the rest of the world so really, a prayer for me is a prayer for the world.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Kodak Moments
It is time to have some professional pictures of The Gavinator. There are two routes one can take. We can go to the department store and get perfectly good photos and sheets of pictures to hand out to aunts, uncles and grandparents or we can go to a studio and get perfectly good photos that also include a CD from which we can make all the prints we could possibly want.
The major difference is price. The department store studios have all sorts of specials and coupons and after reading the fine print I settled on JC Pennys as you can select the size of the pictures on the sheets that you want and you can purchase a sheet for only $4 or you can get the whole package for $8 (the one that includes all of the wallets and even smaller photos that no one actually uses but to shove in a Christmas card that the occasional aunt will tack to a cork board). Woo-hoo. No minimum purchase and no sitting fee. But you get one pose and only as many pictures as you buy. No CDs here.
If you go the studio route you can get a CD from which you can make all the prints you want either at home or through a professional printing service for just under $200. And when going through the studio you usually get all of the pictures taken not just the one pose that you liked best.
Should we go the economical route and save the studio sessions for milestones like the yearly photos?
There is a local photographer I really like. He came to my former office to take business portraits last summer. Check out his website: alanmartsphotography.com. He does the portraits but also doctors photos and makes some surreal looking images. I e-mailed him to get his package rates aside from his hourly cost. I am hoping a CD is included with the hourly rate. If that's the case it would be less money than the kiddie kandids at Babies 'R Us.
Quick poll: How many of you keep and/or display photos that family and friends send to you? Do any of you keep the Christmas photos that everyone and their dog (or of their dog) sends out? I will not shed tears, not even one, if you throw out our family Christmas photo on December 26th. I may shed a tear if you tossed it immediately after opening it unless it arrived after Christmas, of course. If you would answer the poll question that is to the left of this post I would really appreciate it.
The major difference is price. The department store studios have all sorts of specials and coupons and after reading the fine print I settled on JC Pennys as you can select the size of the pictures on the sheets that you want and you can purchase a sheet for only $4 or you can get the whole package for $8 (the one that includes all of the wallets and even smaller photos that no one actually uses but to shove in a Christmas card that the occasional aunt will tack to a cork board). Woo-hoo. No minimum purchase and no sitting fee. But you get one pose and only as many pictures as you buy. No CDs here.
If you go the studio route you can get a CD from which you can make all the prints you want either at home or through a professional printing service for just under $200. And when going through the studio you usually get all of the pictures taken not just the one pose that you liked best.
Should we go the economical route and save the studio sessions for milestones like the yearly photos?
There is a local photographer I really like. He came to my former office to take business portraits last summer. Check out his website: alanmartsphotography.com. He does the portraits but also doctors photos and makes some surreal looking images. I e-mailed him to get his package rates aside from his hourly cost. I am hoping a CD is included with the hourly rate. If that's the case it would be less money than the kiddie kandids at Babies 'R Us.
Quick poll: How many of you keep and/or display photos that family and friends send to you? Do any of you keep the Christmas photos that everyone and their dog (or of their dog) sends out? I will not shed tears, not even one, if you throw out our family Christmas photo on December 26th. I may shed a tear if you tossed it immediately after opening it unless it arrived after Christmas, of course. If you would answer the poll question that is to the left of this post I would really appreciate it.
Breakthrough!
Gavin and I took a nap this morning. We take a nap most mornings. Today, however we took a nap in my bed. On a flat surface!!! He slept on a flat surface! He slept on a stationary surface! There was no bouncing, no vibrating, no rocking and no swinging.
When nap time was over I slipped out of bed and he slept a few minutes longer all by himself while I got ready for a visit to see my friend Erika and her son Zach. When we got home that afternoon we took another nap on the bed. Gavin fought this one a little more but it just took a tummy full of milk to lull him off to sleep but he didn't last long with out me next to him.
I'm sure there are a few people reading this who shudder at the thought of a baby in bed with an adult. Did you know that societies that practice co-sleeping (baby in bed) have a lower incidence of SIDS? It is rare that an adult smothers the baby and when it does happen the adult is usually under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In preparation for bringing Gavin into our bed I removed the memory foam top we had as it is way too soft. When he is in bed we put him up high but not too close to the head board and we keep the blankets at waist height as to prevent us from pulling them up over him.
Of course as I write this he is sleeping in his swing. It is Friday night and I slept for several hours after Ryan came home. I'm going to go get him soon to come out and take over G duty. Tomorrow night I will try sleeping in our bed and will bring Gavin in with us. I would do it tonight but since I can't know how it will turn out I want to ensure I have at least one good night sleep before starting something new.
When nap time was over I slipped out of bed and he slept a few minutes longer all by himself while I got ready for a visit to see my friend Erika and her son Zach. When we got home that afternoon we took another nap on the bed. Gavin fought this one a little more but it just took a tummy full of milk to lull him off to sleep but he didn't last long with out me next to him.
I'm sure there are a few people reading this who shudder at the thought of a baby in bed with an adult. Did you know that societies that practice co-sleeping (baby in bed) have a lower incidence of SIDS? It is rare that an adult smothers the baby and when it does happen the adult is usually under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In preparation for bringing Gavin into our bed I removed the memory foam top we had as it is way too soft. When he is in bed we put him up high but not too close to the head board and we keep the blankets at waist height as to prevent us from pulling them up over him.
Of course as I write this he is sleeping in his swing. It is Friday night and I slept for several hours after Ryan came home. I'm going to go get him soon to come out and take over G duty. Tomorrow night I will try sleeping in our bed and will bring Gavin in with us. I would do it tonight but since I can't know how it will turn out I want to ensure I have at least one good night sleep before starting something new.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Plagiarizing Myself
I'm plagiarizing myself; I posted this on Keller Williams blog as I am still welcome to post on the site even though I don't write about anything even remotely related to real estate.
This is from yesterday:
I finally made it out to Ikea in Renton to have our baby car seat inspected. In line ahead of me was a responsible pregnant woman making sure her car seat was properly installed before her precious cargo arrived. Ahead of her was another irresponsible couple like me who hadn't gotten around to this important job in a timely fashion since their rear facing pint size passenger was in the dad's arms. In my defense (to make myself feel better and look less flakey) my baby did come nearly 3 weeks early (never mind he's 3 1/2 months old now and I've had 3 1/2 months to get around to this task).
After sitting in my car for about 15 minutes it was my turn for a pat on the back. OK, so I was expecting to be one of the 10% of the genius population who can install a car seat properly. Actually, I was piggybacking on the brains of my engineer husband who is very mechanically inclined. I knew that by myself I would be part of the 90% of the population who have to chant "righty tighty, lefty loosey" when turning a screw driver.
Not only did we:
1) fail to install our car seat in best location (middle seat - which we knew, we just couldn't figure out how to make the seat base secure enough),
2) we attached it incorrectly and
3) had the harness too low on the baby which would have helped facilitate serious damage to his delicate internal organs in the event of a car accident.
Needless to say I was humbled to learn that our efforts to keep our son safe were very flawed and I am very grateful to the people who volunteer to help keep our innocent children safe while they share the roads with distracted drivers.
If you have a baby in a car seat or a toddler or young child in a booster seat you can call the Washington State Safety Restraint Coalition at 1-800-BUCKL-UP or visit their website 800bucklup.org for information on car seat checks like the one I attended today at Ikea.
This is from yesterday:
I finally made it out to Ikea in Renton to have our baby car seat inspected. In line ahead of me was a responsible pregnant woman making sure her car seat was properly installed before her precious cargo arrived. Ahead of her was another irresponsible couple like me who hadn't gotten around to this important job in a timely fashion since their rear facing pint size passenger was in the dad's arms. In my defense (to make myself feel better and look less flakey) my baby did come nearly 3 weeks early (never mind he's 3 1/2 months old now and I've had 3 1/2 months to get around to this task).
After sitting in my car for about 15 minutes it was my turn for a pat on the back. OK, so I was expecting to be one of the 10% of the genius population who can install a car seat properly. Actually, I was piggybacking on the brains of my engineer husband who is very mechanically inclined. I knew that by myself I would be part of the 90% of the population who have to chant "righty tighty, lefty loosey" when turning a screw driver.
Not only did we:
1) fail to install our car seat in best location (middle seat - which we knew, we just couldn't figure out how to make the seat base secure enough),
2) we attached it incorrectly and
3) had the harness too low on the baby which would have helped facilitate serious damage to his delicate internal organs in the event of a car accident.
Needless to say I was humbled to learn that our efforts to keep our son safe were very flawed and I am very grateful to the people who volunteer to help keep our innocent children safe while they share the roads with distracted drivers.
If you have a baby in a car seat or a toddler or young child in a booster seat you can call the Washington State Safety Restraint Coalition at 1-800-BUCKL-UP or visit their website 800bucklup.org for information on car seat checks like the one I attended today at Ikea.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
All Inclusive
Has anyone out there done the all inclusive resort vacation? We are looking for an easy way to vacation this Spring someplace warm where we can cart The Gavinator with us with minimal hassle. Thus far our sights are set on Mexico as it is close and airfare and travel time will be diminished.
I'm hoping to go someplace close to ruins so we can make at least a couple of trips away from the compound of disgusting indulgences (and by disgusting I mean delicious). I'm looking forward to a vacation while breastfeeding because I can go nuts with the guacamole and fear little retribution on the posterior (as in calories going straight to it).
We will need to have the G sleeping in something other than his swing by vacation time. I don't imagine trying to get him to sleep in his co-sleeper while on vacation would do much for our sanity. Not that I have much claim to sanity at this point. He did sleep from midnight to 4 am last night. That was a nice stretch of sleep.
OK, gotta cut this short. Gavin finally fell asleep which gives me time to catalog our Goodwill donations before I load them in the car. Ha. Before I wait for Ryan to come home and load them in the car.
Speaking, er writing, of the car... I had our car seat inspected today at Ikea since our local store sponsors the checks once a month. So glad I made the trek to Renton. We failed on three counts. The seat was not in the safest place (the middle - we couldn't get it snug enough there), it was attached incorrectly and we had the harness too low on his abdomen. I haven't told Ryan how wrong we were with the car seat yet. He isn't going to believe me.
I'm hoping to go someplace close to ruins so we can make at least a couple of trips away from the compound of disgusting indulgences (and by disgusting I mean delicious). I'm looking forward to a vacation while breastfeeding because I can go nuts with the guacamole and fear little retribution on the posterior (as in calories going straight to it).
We will need to have the G sleeping in something other than his swing by vacation time. I don't imagine trying to get him to sleep in his co-sleeper while on vacation would do much for our sanity. Not that I have much claim to sanity at this point. He did sleep from midnight to 4 am last night. That was a nice stretch of sleep.
OK, gotta cut this short. Gavin finally fell asleep which gives me time to catalog our Goodwill donations before I load them in the car. Ha. Before I wait for Ryan to come home and load them in the car.
Speaking, er writing, of the car... I had our car seat inspected today at Ikea since our local store sponsors the checks once a month. So glad I made the trek to Renton. We failed on three counts. The seat was not in the safest place (the middle - we couldn't get it snug enough there), it was attached incorrectly and we had the harness too low on his abdomen. I haven't told Ryan how wrong we were with the car seat yet. He isn't going to believe me.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Unsolicited
I set out to buy some new tops the other day since my proportions have changed drastically since I got pregnant and my upper half is going to remain gargantuan for so long as I breastfeed. I strolled the G in his super deluxe coolio baby ride up and down the aisles of blouses grabbing everything that I thought was a possible match. By time I was ready for the dressing room I had at least 25 shirts hanging from the stroller handle; I'm surprised the stroller didn't tip. The fitting room attendant did not look pleased since there was an 8 item limit for the dressing room. Too bad. I'd be darned if I had to go back out the rows and rows of racks of clothing after I tried on each batch of tops.
Gavin didn't explode in protest to the shopping until I was down to my last 2 shirts to try on. I quickly tried them on all the while telling G I was almost done and that he was going to get to eat really soon as if he understood a word of what I was telling him. After pulling my own sweater back over my head for the last time I took one last look in the dressing room mirror. Oh the horror!
Dry weather + low humidity + dry hair + repeatedly pulling sweaters over ones head = severe static electricity.
My hair was beyond flat on top. It was as if the bottom of the strands were pulling with all their might the roots of the hair. My hair was plastered to my face and I couldn't pull it back, my eyes were watering from the static electricity in my hair and the bottoms of the strands were floating off into space. Just thinking about it is making my eyes water.
I could have fed Gavin in the dressing room but I really didn't want to hang out in the dressing room for 20 more minutes, besides I just had to pay for my shirts and be on my way. Unfortunately a line of customers swelled in front of the cashier lanes and I was at the end with a screaming baby.
A kindly woman behind me gave me a kind look befitting of a kindly woman as I picked up Gavin to calm him down. The woman in front of me smiled but it didn't seem very kindly. She gave me some unsolicited advice. Normally I just smile and nod when people give me lame advice. But since pregnancy changed my disposition (which some were hoping was temporary) I thought to myself, I'm not going to let this woman think I appreciate her advice nor that I think it is correct.
Her suggestion was something that she used to try with her own children for when they were fussy. She would carry around suckers with a spiral handle so the baby could hold it and suck on it.
Really.
I said, "Uh, no. He's way too young for sugar. He's only 3 months."
Not so helpful stranger: "I'm just saying." (that's it. She's just saying).
Next time I'm going to give an answer my friend Heather suggested: tell them that I have a nip of whiskey before I breastfeed him to knock him out. I think I'll take it one level more tell them that when I make his bottle I mix in a bit of cough syrup. That'll make 'em choke. Choke then call CPS.
After I paid for my goods I went to the Starbucks around the corner to give Gavin the goods. I looked around the tiny Starbucks for a cushy chair to sit in for feeding and there was one upholstered chair open - right next to a young man reading a book. Poor guy. The one comfortable chair was next to him. I had no choice.
I plopped my bum down in the chair, threw my bebe au lait (nursing cover) on and fed Gavin while sipping my cocoa and reading the paper. The young man didn't even blink. He stayed still save for turning the pages of his book. Gavin was hungry so he wasn't eating quietly. There was much lip smacking, slurping and grunting going on. The young man reading his book couldn't avoid what was going on under my bebe au lait. I must say the situation made my heart snicker.
Gavin didn't explode in protest to the shopping until I was down to my last 2 shirts to try on. I quickly tried them on all the while telling G I was almost done and that he was going to get to eat really soon as if he understood a word of what I was telling him. After pulling my own sweater back over my head for the last time I took one last look in the dressing room mirror. Oh the horror!
Dry weather + low humidity + dry hair + repeatedly pulling sweaters over ones head = severe static electricity.
My hair was beyond flat on top. It was as if the bottom of the strands were pulling with all their might the roots of the hair. My hair was plastered to my face and I couldn't pull it back, my eyes were watering from the static electricity in my hair and the bottoms of the strands were floating off into space. Just thinking about it is making my eyes water.
I could have fed Gavin in the dressing room but I really didn't want to hang out in the dressing room for 20 more minutes, besides I just had to pay for my shirts and be on my way. Unfortunately a line of customers swelled in front of the cashier lanes and I was at the end with a screaming baby.
A kindly woman behind me gave me a kind look befitting of a kindly woman as I picked up Gavin to calm him down. The woman in front of me smiled but it didn't seem very kindly. She gave me some unsolicited advice. Normally I just smile and nod when people give me lame advice. But since pregnancy changed my disposition (which some were hoping was temporary) I thought to myself, I'm not going to let this woman think I appreciate her advice nor that I think it is correct.
Her suggestion was something that she used to try with her own children for when they were fussy. She would carry around suckers with a spiral handle so the baby could hold it and suck on it.
Really.
I said, "Uh, no. He's way too young for sugar. He's only 3 months."
Not so helpful stranger: "I'm just saying." (that's it. She's just saying).
Next time I'm going to give an answer my friend Heather suggested: tell them that I have a nip of whiskey before I breastfeed him to knock him out. I think I'll take it one level more tell them that when I make his bottle I mix in a bit of cough syrup. That'll make 'em choke. Choke then call CPS.
After I paid for my goods I went to the Starbucks around the corner to give Gavin the goods. I looked around the tiny Starbucks for a cushy chair to sit in for feeding and there was one upholstered chair open - right next to a young man reading a book. Poor guy. The one comfortable chair was next to him. I had no choice.
I plopped my bum down in the chair, threw my bebe au lait (nursing cover) on and fed Gavin while sipping my cocoa and reading the paper. The young man didn't even blink. He stayed still save for turning the pages of his book. Gavin was hungry so he wasn't eating quietly. There was much lip smacking, slurping and grunting going on. The young man reading his book couldn't avoid what was going on under my bebe au lait. I must say the situation made my heart snicker.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Stalking the Parks Dept. Employee
Little G was fussy so I put him in his car seat which I then clicked into the stroller, packed the diaper bag, the laptop, external hard drive and grabbed the essentials from my purse and stuffed them into the laptop bag and headed to the library. The short walk to the library did not put him to sleep so I kept walking. And walking. And walking. No such luck.
I stopped in the baby boutique Buggy and bought some mitts to cover the talon Gavin's talon like finger nails that grow almost fast enough to watch with the naked eye. He still refused to sleep. We headed back in the direction of the library and this time I slowed my pace as we walked through the small triangular park as a Parks Department employee was using a leaf blower. I peaked at Gavin and saw his eyes getting heavy as the leaf blower worked its magic on his noise loving ears.
Sweet sleep! At last!
One more block and we were at the library. I paid my late fees that were very, very, very late (several years late) in the amount of $18.50. As I put my checkbook away I see Gavin's eyes pop open. I roll the stroller back and forth.
His beautiful blue eyes remain open. Then his mouth opens. Then he proceeds to protest at being in a quiet warm environment where his beloved Mommy wanted to do some simple work.
Being the nice person I am I left the tranquility that Gavin was making less tranquil by the second and walked back up the road. This time I stopped on the sidewalk opposite the leaf blowing man. Leaf blowing man turned the blower down. I didn't budge. Leaf blowing man finally turned it back to full power when it became clear I wasn't going anywhere. He moved to the opposite end of the small park. I followed then parked the stroller and waited for Gavin's eyelids to become heavy. It didn't take long. So I stood there rolling the stroller back and forth over a crack in the sidewalk while leaf blowing man blew leaves.
After G fell asleep I gave the noise another couple of minutes to make sure he was going to stay asleep. Unfortunately I couldn't go to the library because the quiet would wake him so I kept walking and am now sitting in Galaxie Espresso. I devoured a delicious turkey sandwich on a baguette. It was a large sandwich but I'm still hungry. Breast feeding requires a lot of energy and since I've been walking a lot the last couple of days I've been expending a lot more energy without replacing it properly.
I suppose I should get to work on sorting photos and such since that is what I set out to do when I left the house.
I stopped in the baby boutique Buggy and bought some mitts to cover the talon Gavin's talon like finger nails that grow almost fast enough to watch with the naked eye. He still refused to sleep. We headed back in the direction of the library and this time I slowed my pace as we walked through the small triangular park as a Parks Department employee was using a leaf blower. I peaked at Gavin and saw his eyes getting heavy as the leaf blower worked its magic on his noise loving ears.
Sweet sleep! At last!
One more block and we were at the library. I paid my late fees that were very, very, very late (several years late) in the amount of $18.50. As I put my checkbook away I see Gavin's eyes pop open. I roll the stroller back and forth.
His beautiful blue eyes remain open. Then his mouth opens. Then he proceeds to protest at being in a quiet warm environment where his beloved Mommy wanted to do some simple work.
Being the nice person I am I left the tranquility that Gavin was making less tranquil by the second and walked back up the road. This time I stopped on the sidewalk opposite the leaf blowing man. Leaf blowing man turned the blower down. I didn't budge. Leaf blowing man finally turned it back to full power when it became clear I wasn't going anywhere. He moved to the opposite end of the small park. I followed then parked the stroller and waited for Gavin's eyelids to become heavy. It didn't take long. So I stood there rolling the stroller back and forth over a crack in the sidewalk while leaf blowing man blew leaves.
After G fell asleep I gave the noise another couple of minutes to make sure he was going to stay asleep. Unfortunately I couldn't go to the library because the quiet would wake him so I kept walking and am now sitting in Galaxie Espresso. I devoured a delicious turkey sandwich on a baguette. It was a large sandwich but I'm still hungry. Breast feeding requires a lot of energy and since I've been walking a lot the last couple of days I've been expending a lot more energy without replacing it properly.
I suppose I should get to work on sorting photos and such since that is what I set out to do when I left the house.
Sorrow
This brief post is for two very special people - you know who you are. I tried to pen special words but I think the lyrics to "It Is Well" are better than any I could write. The author of this hymn, Horatio G. Spafford, wrote it during a time of unfathomable pain and suffering. I pray that his words will provide some measure of comfort.
It Is Well
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
It Is Well
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Sorry
I just deleted my most recent post. I prefaced the post with a statement about being an open book. True. I am an open book but just because I am doesn't mean you want to read all it. The only way you could have known you didn't want to read it is if you read it because I gave no indication as to what the subject matter was.
So for those of you who didn't get around to reading the post I can give you the scoop by phone or e-mail.
So for those of you who didn't get around to reading the post I can give you the scoop by phone or e-mail.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
OMG!
I do not like to take the Lord's name in vain but is it in vain when you say, "Oh my God! Please stop crying."? I'm imploring of my maker to make his other tiny creation with not so tiny lungs to cease the constant wailing.
Gavin has been bestowed with incredible cuteness and incredible lungs. Or mediocre lungs and amazing vocal cords and a great diaphragm. He is quite the eardrum buster.
Tonight is my bible study night but we are not meeting because everyone is still scattered from the holidays but it is still my night off. I drove around Seattle for an hour and a half, visiting the places I used to visit when I first moved to the Emerald City. It was a nice trip down memory lane to see the coffee shops I haunted and the streets I strolled back when I still gasped in awe when I saw the city skyline and wondered if it would ever lose it's magical pull on me. (It has. I do not deny it is gorgeous but I don't pinch myself and think, "I live here!" anymore).
Ryan is upstairs with Gavin as I sit here and check my e-mail and make this post. I just polished off my first Hefeweizen since I became pregnant. If Gavin gets hungry before 10 pm he'll get another bottle of previously frozen mom juice. Yea for pumps!
I should head upstairs and take advantage of my last few minutes of time off and take a bath while I can.
Who knew bathing would be such a treat?
Gavin has been bestowed with incredible cuteness and incredible lungs. Or mediocre lungs and amazing vocal cords and a great diaphragm. He is quite the eardrum buster.
Tonight is my bible study night but we are not meeting because everyone is still scattered from the holidays but it is still my night off. I drove around Seattle for an hour and a half, visiting the places I used to visit when I first moved to the Emerald City. It was a nice trip down memory lane to see the coffee shops I haunted and the streets I strolled back when I still gasped in awe when I saw the city skyline and wondered if it would ever lose it's magical pull on me. (It has. I do not deny it is gorgeous but I don't pinch myself and think, "I live here!" anymore).
Ryan is upstairs with Gavin as I sit here and check my e-mail and make this post. I just polished off my first Hefeweizen since I became pregnant. If Gavin gets hungry before 10 pm he'll get another bottle of previously frozen mom juice. Yea for pumps!
I should head upstairs and take advantage of my last few minutes of time off and take a bath while I can.
Who knew bathing would be such a treat?
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Christmas Came Early (to me)
It is too early to breath a sigh of relief or to make any excited proclamations but I can make excited proclamations about what I have already received. Two nights in a row.
Any guesses as to what I am so thrilled about?
Sleep!
Gavin gave his beloved Mommy 6 hours of sleep two nights in a row!
Woo-hoo!
I am praying it isn't a fluke. There is one wrinkle in his gift of sleep to me, however. It may come at a certain cost. Previous to all of the sleep being had by one uber-cute baby there was much crying, fussing and screaming being belted out for the duration of the evening.
Last night Ryan and Gavin's Nana Monten tested ways to soothe the little Grumpers. Nana walked with him in laps around her house facing outward. Grumpers turned into a docile lamb with eyes wide open staring at all of the lights. Ryan then took the G and made sure it wasn't just the Nana factor.
To further test their hypothesis that walking was the cure to the fussies Ryan would stop and sit on the couch. It only took a moment for Gavin to start wailing. Ryan let him get worked up enough to make sure the walking was the answer.
As soon as they stood up and started walking Gavin baa'd like the good little lamb that he is.
It was then my turn to change a variable in the testing. After walking with him facing outward (to make sure it wasn't the Nana/Daddy factor) and calming him down I sat down and let Gavin work himself up to a good cry before standing up and walking with him facing inward. That worked as well so long as he was able to see the lights.
My thoughts on the light fascination with babies is that lights to babies are like over the top Christmas light displays to adults (or children). It is just so nice to look at all of the twinkly lights against the backdrop of the dark sky.
I used to love staring at the Christmas tree when I was little and let my eyes go out of focus and all of the lights grew fuzzy with halos. Now all I have to do is take off my glasses and I see the pretty fuzzy Christmas tree lights of my youth.
Losing the fuzzy Christmas lights is the only wrinkle in my plan to get laser eye surgery (one of these years). Sorry, Swell & Sheepie. As grateful as I am to have glasses that enable me to see clearly I still HATE them. The lenses fog up in the winter when you walk in doors, they get wet in the rain, a gross film on them at the beach and they are so easy to lose. How do you find your glasses when you need your glasses to see? And don't say to only put them in one spot - if I was that conscientious in the first place I would never lose them and wouldn't ask the question.
Gavin is starting to stir so I should wrap this up before he realizes he is hungry.
Any guesses as to what I am so thrilled about?
Sleep!
Gavin gave his beloved Mommy 6 hours of sleep two nights in a row!
Woo-hoo!
I am praying it isn't a fluke. There is one wrinkle in his gift of sleep to me, however. It may come at a certain cost. Previous to all of the sleep being had by one uber-cute baby there was much crying, fussing and screaming being belted out for the duration of the evening.
Last night Ryan and Gavin's Nana Monten tested ways to soothe the little Grumpers. Nana walked with him in laps around her house facing outward. Grumpers turned into a docile lamb with eyes wide open staring at all of the lights. Ryan then took the G and made sure it wasn't just the Nana factor.
To further test their hypothesis that walking was the cure to the fussies Ryan would stop and sit on the couch. It only took a moment for Gavin to start wailing. Ryan let him get worked up enough to make sure the walking was the answer.
As soon as they stood up and started walking Gavin baa'd like the good little lamb that he is.
It was then my turn to change a variable in the testing. After walking with him facing outward (to make sure it wasn't the Nana/Daddy factor) and calming him down I sat down and let Gavin work himself up to a good cry before standing up and walking with him facing inward. That worked as well so long as he was able to see the lights.
My thoughts on the light fascination with babies is that lights to babies are like over the top Christmas light displays to adults (or children). It is just so nice to look at all of the twinkly lights against the backdrop of the dark sky.
I used to love staring at the Christmas tree when I was little and let my eyes go out of focus and all of the lights grew fuzzy with halos. Now all I have to do is take off my glasses and I see the pretty fuzzy Christmas tree lights of my youth.
Losing the fuzzy Christmas lights is the only wrinkle in my plan to get laser eye surgery (one of these years). Sorry, Swell & Sheepie. As grateful as I am to have glasses that enable me to see clearly I still HATE them. The lenses fog up in the winter when you walk in doors, they get wet in the rain, a gross film on them at the beach and they are so easy to lose. How do you find your glasses when you need your glasses to see? And don't say to only put them in one spot - if I was that conscientious in the first place I would never lose them and wouldn't ask the question.
Gavin is starting to stir so I should wrap this up before he realizes he is hungry.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Normal
Gavin just had his 2 month check up. His growth and strength are all normal, in the 50th & 60th percentiles. His sleep is not normal but not abnormal either. If he's still not sleeping well at 4 months then the Dr. said we should start giving him cereal at night to keep his tiny tummy full longer which will help him sleep.
I pray to the good Lord above that we don't have to resort to that because that means I will be seriously sleep deprived for 2 more months.
There is a church nearby my office (where I am right now) playing a Angels We Have Heard On High with bells. Those are some big bells because the church is almost 2 streets away and I can hear it through a brick wall. I wonder how many bells are in the bell tower.
It's hard to believe Christmas is just a few days away. This week used to be the longest week when I was a kid. Almost every night I would have a dream that it was Christmas and I would wake up in the morning all excited just to be disappointed that it was still 5 days away only to get excited again because we were one day closer to Christmas.
Christmas dinner with my extended family was so much fun. We would open presents at home in the morning with mom then go to Grandma & Grandpa's in the afternoon for a huge feast with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins and everyone who didn't have a place to go. My favorite foods to eat were black olives (somethings haven't changed) and fruit salad (made with whipped cream). When it was dark out the grandkids opened presents from all of the aunts and uncles and at some point in the evening we would go sit on the side walk and watch the boats with Christmas lights sail through the channel in the bay.
Now Christmases are a little more stressful. Alternating families and traveling across the great State of Washington to make sure we see everyone. This year we will go to Belfair on Saturday and drive back to Seattle on Sunday, host on Christmas Eve and go to the 'Couv on Christmas Day and back home the same day.
At least we will get to see everyone!
Merry Christmas!
I pray to the good Lord above that we don't have to resort to that because that means I will be seriously sleep deprived for 2 more months.
There is a church nearby my office (where I am right now) playing a Angels We Have Heard On High with bells. Those are some big bells because the church is almost 2 streets away and I can hear it through a brick wall. I wonder how many bells are in the bell tower.
It's hard to believe Christmas is just a few days away. This week used to be the longest week when I was a kid. Almost every night I would have a dream that it was Christmas and I would wake up in the morning all excited just to be disappointed that it was still 5 days away only to get excited again because we were one day closer to Christmas.
Christmas dinner with my extended family was so much fun. We would open presents at home in the morning with mom then go to Grandma & Grandpa's in the afternoon for a huge feast with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins and everyone who didn't have a place to go. My favorite foods to eat were black olives (somethings haven't changed) and fruit salad (made with whipped cream). When it was dark out the grandkids opened presents from all of the aunts and uncles and at some point in the evening we would go sit on the side walk and watch the boats with Christmas lights sail through the channel in the bay.
Now Christmases are a little more stressful. Alternating families and traveling across the great State of Washington to make sure we see everyone. This year we will go to Belfair on Saturday and drive back to Seattle on Sunday, host on Christmas Eve and go to the 'Couv on Christmas Day and back home the same day.
At least we will get to see everyone!
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Snub
I just realized I didn't put mauigirl's blog back on my site after I updated my blogger account. Sorry. It wasn't a purposeful move - I only had enough brain power to add the two then I petered out. I'll add it back soon. Promise.
I have nothing else to post about. Sure I could post about the cutest baby EVER. But that's got to get old. Although he has started to coo a bit. Now if he could just try to sleep a bit at night that would be fan-freakin'-tastic.
Ryan had baby duty on Saturday night. I had pumped so Ryan could feed Mr. Fussers when he woke up frequently demanding food. It was the first time since I got pregnant that I slept 8 hours. Glorious sleep! I could have slept another 8 hours but we ran out of pumped milk and I was going to explode - and I'm not talkin' about my bladder. Ouch. Gavin was needed for some decompression.
Because Ryan had the G-man on Saturday I was able to go to church on Sunday. It was Gavin's first day at church. Ryan slept. I spent most of the service out of the service feeding Gavin but it was still good to get my foot back in the door of the church.
Now I'm going home (I'm at my office in West Seattle as I was running errands). Maybe I'll get a few minutes of sleep. Maybe I will fold one of the 4 or 5 baskets of clean laundry in the dining room. Maybe I'll sweep up the bushels of cat and dog fur billowing around the house. Maybe I'll make dinner.
Most likely I will feed Gavin and change his diaper 3 or 4 times before Ryan gets home and watch a lot of Law and Order while Sweet Pea is happily nursing with his eyes closed.
I have nothing else to post about. Sure I could post about the cutest baby EVER. But that's got to get old. Although he has started to coo a bit. Now if he could just try to sleep a bit at night that would be fan-freakin'-tastic.
Ryan had baby duty on Saturday night. I had pumped so Ryan could feed Mr. Fussers when he woke up frequently demanding food. It was the first time since I got pregnant that I slept 8 hours. Glorious sleep! I could have slept another 8 hours but we ran out of pumped milk and I was going to explode - and I'm not talkin' about my bladder. Ouch. Gavin was needed for some decompression.
Because Ryan had the G-man on Saturday I was able to go to church on Sunday. It was Gavin's first day at church. Ryan slept. I spent most of the service out of the service feeding Gavin but it was still good to get my foot back in the door of the church.
Now I'm going home (I'm at my office in West Seattle as I was running errands). Maybe I'll get a few minutes of sleep. Maybe I will fold one of the 4 or 5 baskets of clean laundry in the dining room. Maybe I'll sweep up the bushels of cat and dog fur billowing around the house. Maybe I'll make dinner.
Most likely I will feed Gavin and change his diaper 3 or 4 times before Ryan gets home and watch a lot of Law and Order while Sweet Pea is happily nursing with his eyes closed.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
C.P.
Poor Gavin. He is not going to know what his name is since Ryan and I call him just about every name under the sun but his given name.
I definetly take the cake as far as variety of names are concerned. Gavin is Sweet Pea, Cutie Pie, Honey and Little Mister when he is cute and alert. Today I came up with C.P. - short for Cute & Precious.
Ryan calls him Buddy, Little Guy, Big Guy, Big Eyes, G., Gavey.
When my Sweet Pea Cutie Pie Honey Little Mister C.P. is less than adorable he becomes, Fussers, Grumpers, Dude, Little Dude and C'mon (as in C'mon already, stop crying and go to sleep please).
This morning after Ryan went to work at about 9:30 or 10 Fussers woke up. I fed him and changed him and C.P. fell asleep on my lap. Making sure he was in a deep sleep I sat on the couch with him gazing at my Sweet Pea before transitioning him into his co-sleeper so I could sleep in my bed (I would have slept on the couch but the dog yacked on the floor next to the couch and I got my sleeping bag in it - gross). I layed Little Mister down and Grumpers woke up.
To get the Dude back to sleep it took a hair dryer, space heater and mini fan with the noise and heat they create to lull him off to sleep. Each time he drifted off to dream of milk filled boobs he would wake up after 15 minutes which is just enough time for me nod off. After 3 of these attempts at sleep he finally stayed in slumber land for about 2 hours.
You think I'm kidding about the milk filled boob dreams. He nurses in his sleep. It is freakin' cute! He did it the entire time I was in the bath tub yesterday (he was in his bouncy chair next to the tub) and when I climbed out of the tub and grabbed the camera he quit. Lame. It's as elusive to the camera as is his smile.
Gavin's 2 month check up is next week. I wonder what percentile he is in as far as his growth is considered and what the doctor will have to say about his sleeping patterns.
I should probably head upstairs soon. Tonight is my night off. I've been meeting with my bible study every Thursday since I moved to Seattle 6 years ago. Now it is a place of refuge. Ryan made a comment tonight before I left that my girlfriends haven't seen Gavin in a while. Nice try! If my girlfriends want to see Gavin they can come over on a night that is not a Thursday. I don't get a day off or even a half of a day. I get 2-3 hours. That's it. It is long enough to make me miss the little guy, though.
Yep. It's time for me to return upstairs and give my C.P. a kiss since I ran down to the basement as soon as I got home effectively telling Ryan I wasn't ready to go back on duty.
I definetly take the cake as far as variety of names are concerned. Gavin is Sweet Pea, Cutie Pie, Honey and Little Mister when he is cute and alert. Today I came up with C.P. - short for Cute & Precious.
Ryan calls him Buddy, Little Guy, Big Guy, Big Eyes, G., Gavey.
When my Sweet Pea Cutie Pie Honey Little Mister C.P. is less than adorable he becomes, Fussers, Grumpers, Dude, Little Dude and C'mon (as in C'mon already, stop crying and go to sleep please).
This morning after Ryan went to work at about 9:30 or 10 Fussers woke up. I fed him and changed him and C.P. fell asleep on my lap. Making sure he was in a deep sleep I sat on the couch with him gazing at my Sweet Pea before transitioning him into his co-sleeper so I could sleep in my bed (I would have slept on the couch but the dog yacked on the floor next to the couch and I got my sleeping bag in it - gross). I layed Little Mister down and Grumpers woke up.
To get the Dude back to sleep it took a hair dryer, space heater and mini fan with the noise and heat they create to lull him off to sleep. Each time he drifted off to dream of milk filled boobs he would wake up after 15 minutes which is just enough time for me nod off. After 3 of these attempts at sleep he finally stayed in slumber land for about 2 hours.
You think I'm kidding about the milk filled boob dreams. He nurses in his sleep. It is freakin' cute! He did it the entire time I was in the bath tub yesterday (he was in his bouncy chair next to the tub) and when I climbed out of the tub and grabbed the camera he quit. Lame. It's as elusive to the camera as is his smile.
Gavin's 2 month check up is next week. I wonder what percentile he is in as far as his growth is considered and what the doctor will have to say about his sleeping patterns.
I should probably head upstairs soon. Tonight is my night off. I've been meeting with my bible study every Thursday since I moved to Seattle 6 years ago. Now it is a place of refuge. Ryan made a comment tonight before I left that my girlfriends haven't seen Gavin in a while. Nice try! If my girlfriends want to see Gavin they can come over on a night that is not a Thursday. I don't get a day off or even a half of a day. I get 2-3 hours. That's it. It is long enough to make me miss the little guy, though.
Yep. It's time for me to return upstairs and give my C.P. a kiss since I ran down to the basement as soon as I got home effectively telling Ryan I wasn't ready to go back on duty.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Hanging in there
Just checking in here to let everyone know all is well since I haven't been Ms. Social as of late. I don't pick up the phone when it rings because I usually have Gavin physically attached to me and I can't reach the phone. I don't e-mail because as I sit on the couch I have to angle the laptop and type with one hand because I'm feeding Gavin. One handed typing at an angle on a couch while the laptop is perched precariously on the dog kennel gives me back spasms.
I have been told that soon Gavin will sleep through the night. Of course I was also told that when the baby reaches 10 pounds he will sleep better. Gavin is weighing in at over 12 pounds now. I suppose he does sleep better, closer to 3 hours than 2 hours but it is still a struggle to keep him asleep when you go for the super slow motion transfer from your lap or shoulder to the swing/cradle/co-sleeper/bouncy chair/car seat (what ever you think and pray to God he will sleep in).
As I write this it took 4 attempts to get him to go to sleep and stay asleep. I started after he was given a clean diaper and fed. He fell asleep after eating his fill of mom's super food but woke up as soon as I put him in his swing and was none to happy about not being in my arms. I held him again and lulled him off to sleep and tried the car seat. Failed. I lulled him off again and put him back in the swing. Nope. This process took 2 hours. Next thing you know he's hungry again. This time I fed him and put him in his cradle and after mild fussing he fell asleep and is still sleeping. I put the monitor on him and made my way to the basement so I could check e-mail and write this on the desktop since the laptop is having issues staying connected to the Internet.
The little guy is smiling now. OK, he's not smiling right this very second but you know what I mean. His toothless, open mouth smile is so CUTE. It's also very elusive when the camera comes out to capture it. One of these days we will have proof of the adorableness that is my son's smile.
We can't wait for him to laugh. A baby's giggle is just about the most precious thing there is. God knew what he was doing when he made them so darn cute. Even as Gavin cries we laugh at how cute he is with his bottom lip jutting out and at how perfectly he forms the 'W' when he wails. My mother-in-law was saying she has never heard a baby actually make a 'waa' sound when they cry like Gavin does.
Alright. He is starting to stir a bit. That means the clock has started. He should be awake within the hour. I have a few minutes to go eat something since I chose to sleep instead of eat dinner tonight while Ryan was able to watch him before he went to bed.
Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season.
I have been told that soon Gavin will sleep through the night. Of course I was also told that when the baby reaches 10 pounds he will sleep better. Gavin is weighing in at over 12 pounds now. I suppose he does sleep better, closer to 3 hours than 2 hours but it is still a struggle to keep him asleep when you go for the super slow motion transfer from your lap or shoulder to the swing/cradle/co-sleeper/bouncy chair/car seat (what ever you think and pray to God he will sleep in).
As I write this it took 4 attempts to get him to go to sleep and stay asleep. I started after he was given a clean diaper and fed. He fell asleep after eating his fill of mom's super food but woke up as soon as I put him in his swing and was none to happy about not being in my arms. I held him again and lulled him off to sleep and tried the car seat. Failed. I lulled him off again and put him back in the swing. Nope. This process took 2 hours. Next thing you know he's hungry again. This time I fed him and put him in his cradle and after mild fussing he fell asleep and is still sleeping. I put the monitor on him and made my way to the basement so I could check e-mail and write this on the desktop since the laptop is having issues staying connected to the Internet.
The little guy is smiling now. OK, he's not smiling right this very second but you know what I mean. His toothless, open mouth smile is so CUTE. It's also very elusive when the camera comes out to capture it. One of these days we will have proof of the adorableness that is my son's smile.
We can't wait for him to laugh. A baby's giggle is just about the most precious thing there is. God knew what he was doing when he made them so darn cute. Even as Gavin cries we laugh at how cute he is with his bottom lip jutting out and at how perfectly he forms the 'W' when he wails. My mother-in-law was saying she has never heard a baby actually make a 'waa' sound when they cry like Gavin does.
Alright. He is starting to stir a bit. That means the clock has started. He should be awake within the hour. I have a few minutes to go eat something since I chose to sleep instead of eat dinner tonight while Ryan was able to watch him before he went to bed.
Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
C-U-T-E
Can you believe how cute this little dude is? We didn't take a picture of him during the actual bath. He was still cute but not so happy to be naked and wet. Bath time is very traumatic. As is having a diaper changed, not being fed fast enough, getting dressed, being put in the car seat, being taken out of the car seat, being taken out of the bouncy chair, being taken out of a swaddle, being put in a swaddle, not being swaddled. There is so much drama when you are a month old.Right now he is starting to stir from a nice nap in his bouncy chair. Ryan put Gavin in the bathroom in his bouncy chair while he took a shower. There is nothing more soothing to him than the sound of the fan, running water and bright lights. It puts him out every time.
I'm going to have to pony up some milk any minute now. Our house has turned into a dairy. I'm the cow. Would that make me a heifer?
The little G-man, as Ryan calls him, is one month old today. We can't imagine our lives without him and he's only been here one month. It feels like so much longer but maybe that's because I carried him inside of me for 9 months. He is already holding his head up. He usually holds his head up when I put hold him against my chest. He knows food is nearby.
OK, gotta go. Time to feed my sweet pea.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
6:14 and not ready for bed
It's 6:14 and my thoughts have not turned towards bedtime yet. Wow. This is the time I start to think about going to bed. 7:00 is when I start to get ready and 9:00 is lights out.
It probably helps that my mother-in-law was here today and I got to go back to bed for 2 hours after eating breakfast that she had made for everyone. The in-laws who went straight from our house the Sunday after Gavin was born to Arizona just arrived back in town last night and they came straight from the airport to our house and started working again! Craziness.
Ryan goes back to work tomorrow. Officially back to work. Because Gavin arrived even earlier than anticipated Ryan had to work almost a full work week his first week off (from the dining room table) and make many trips to the office and field office. The second week was a little better and I think this upcoming week his work load will have finally died down - just in time for Gavin's due date.
Gavin is getting some chubby cheeks; at his two week mark he has gained back all of his birth weight plus a half a pound so as of Thursday he was at 8 pounds 1 ounce. : ) Yea for fat babies! I hear they sleep better. Two more pounds to go to see if 10 pounds is the magical weight that will allow his tummy to stay full longer and allow his mommy to sleep longer.
p.s. I am wearing pre-maternity clothes! The jeans are the biggest size I have but still - they aren't maternity! My regular jeans zip up but it's just not very attractive right now.
That is all I have the time and energy to write about for now. I'm glad the first two week are over. It has been quite an emotional roller coaster being new parents, sleep deprived and hormonally imbalanced. Since I don't want to jinx anything (I'm really not superstitious) I'm not going to write that it feels like life is returning to 'normal'.
It probably helps that my mother-in-law was here today and I got to go back to bed for 2 hours after eating breakfast that she had made for everyone. The in-laws who went straight from our house the Sunday after Gavin was born to Arizona just arrived back in town last night and they came straight from the airport to our house and started working again! Craziness.
Ryan goes back to work tomorrow. Officially back to work. Because Gavin arrived even earlier than anticipated Ryan had to work almost a full work week his first week off (from the dining room table) and make many trips to the office and field office. The second week was a little better and I think this upcoming week his work load will have finally died down - just in time for Gavin's due date.
Gavin is getting some chubby cheeks; at his two week mark he has gained back all of his birth weight plus a half a pound so as of Thursday he was at 8 pounds 1 ounce. : ) Yea for fat babies! I hear they sleep better. Two more pounds to go to see if 10 pounds is the magical weight that will allow his tummy to stay full longer and allow his mommy to sleep longer.
p.s. I am wearing pre-maternity clothes! The jeans are the biggest size I have but still - they aren't maternity! My regular jeans zip up but it's just not very attractive right now.
That is all I have the time and energy to write about for now. I'm glad the first two week are over. It has been quite an emotional roller coaster being new parents, sleep deprived and hormonally imbalanced. Since I don't want to jinx anything (I'm really not superstitious) I'm not going to write that it feels like life is returning to 'normal'.
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