Happy one year anniversary to me!
It has been a year since I started this blog, and I've got to admit...it's kind of addicting. I love being able to put my feelings down in a somewhat tangible form. I love reading all of my friend's blogs, and I love being able to share what is going on in my life.
I also love all my "blog friends" (ie: all of you who comment, and even those of you who don't, but I know are regular readers). It makes me feel like I am getting some form of adult conversation, even on those days when there is not much to be found around my house.
So, thanks for reading! And here's to more years to come.
April 28, 2009
April 24, 2009
Not Sad to Say Goodbye
Over the last 9 months, I have stuck roughly 190 of these little beauties into my stomach (daily, minus the 2 1/2 weeks before I gave birth -in which I switched to a different kind of injection).
The needle is small, a plus, but it burns as it goes in and leaves ugly bruises. Not terribly pleasant.
Today was my last one.
Sometimes you've got to take the small victories where you can get them.
The needle is small, a plus, but it burns as it goes in and leaves ugly bruises. Not terribly pleasant.
Today was my last one.
Sometimes you've got to take the small victories where you can get them.
April 22, 2009
Positive Notes
1. Baby Sister weighs in at 10 lbs 8 oz, as of today. Apparently she is getting enough to eat! (my husband teases me that I produce straight cream)
2. She slept for a whopping 7 hours straight last night. Its just too bad that I wasn't asleep for that whole time. I was full to bursting by the time she woke up. Not quite ready for her to go from 3 hour stretches to 7 hours all at once.
3. I found the missing blanket....my helpful 3 year old put it in the washer for me. Not in the laundry basket - where I did look - but the washer, where I never would have thought to look. Oh well, at least I found it.
4. It's taken a month but I can do my jeans up again. They're my "fat" jeans, but this means no more maternity jeans. Hooray!
5. Today is rainy, but by next week it is supposed to be sunny and nice again. I can't wait!
2. She slept for a whopping 7 hours straight last night. Its just too bad that I wasn't asleep for that whole time. I was full to bursting by the time she woke up. Not quite ready for her to go from 3 hour stretches to 7 hours all at once.
3. I found the missing blanket....my helpful 3 year old put it in the washer for me. Not in the laundry basket - where I did look - but the washer, where I never would have thought to look. Oh well, at least I found it.
4. It's taken a month but I can do my jeans up again. They're my "fat" jeans, but this means no more maternity jeans. Hooray!
5. Today is rainy, but by next week it is supposed to be sunny and nice again. I can't wait!
April 21, 2009
Loosing It!
When does pregnancy brain go away? I'm getting really tired of this!
Scenario 1: Baby Sister has a cute blanket, pink and brown polka dots on one side, brown fuzzy stuff on the other. Anyway, while I was cleaning up yesterday, I folded up this blanket and set it aside so that I could use again when we went out later. When I went back to find it, it wasn't where I left it. I have looked everywhere in this house that I can think of and it is not here. It is a bummer, that is one of my favorite blankets, and the first indication that I might be loosing my mind.
Scenario 2: For the last 3 nights we've been letting the baby sleep in her car seat (and she is finally sleeping) next to my bed. Last night she woke up at 2:30 am, ate, then went right back to sleep. I decided to try laying her down to sleep in the bassinet (that is across the room) to see how she did in it.
We've decided it is the reason she hasn't been sleeping well. She is congested and doesn't like being flat on her back.
So, she is really good and asleep, so I lay her in the bassinet then go back to bed. An hour later I roll over, (still mostly asleep) look over at the car seat on the side of the bed to do my usual check on the baby, and see that it is empty. Then I proceed to freak out. I startle to fully awake and shout at my husband (who then startles awake) "Where is the baby!" We start looking at around the bed, and surmise that she is not there (all the while my brain is of course running through all the worst possibilities), then I remember - for some strange reason - that I changed her diaper when I was last up, so then I start running to the changing table in her room to see if she is there.
Then I finally get smart, look into the bassinet on the way out of the room, and it all comes rushing back to me. I remembered putting her there. Then of course I break down in hormone fueled tears and apologize to my husband for my being so very brain dead.
He, being the nice guy that he is, chalks it up to lack of sleep (and hormones) and forgives me.
Scenario 1: Baby Sister has a cute blanket, pink and brown polka dots on one side, brown fuzzy stuff on the other. Anyway, while I was cleaning up yesterday, I folded up this blanket and set it aside so that I could use again when we went out later. When I went back to find it, it wasn't where I left it. I have looked everywhere in this house that I can think of and it is not here. It is a bummer, that is one of my favorite blankets, and the first indication that I might be loosing my mind.
Scenario 2: For the last 3 nights we've been letting the baby sleep in her car seat (and she is finally sleeping) next to my bed. Last night she woke up at 2:30 am, ate, then went right back to sleep. I decided to try laying her down to sleep in the bassinet (that is across the room) to see how she did in it.
We've decided it is the reason she hasn't been sleeping well. She is congested and doesn't like being flat on her back.
So, she is really good and asleep, so I lay her in the bassinet then go back to bed. An hour later I roll over, (still mostly asleep) look over at the car seat on the side of the bed to do my usual check on the baby, and see that it is empty. Then I proceed to freak out. I startle to fully awake and shout at my husband (who then startles awake) "Where is the baby!" We start looking at around the bed, and surmise that she is not there (all the while my brain is of course running through all the worst possibilities), then I remember - for some strange reason - that I changed her diaper when I was last up, so then I start running to the changing table in her room to see if she is there.
Then I finally get smart, look into the bassinet on the way out of the room, and it all comes rushing back to me. I remembered putting her there. Then of course I break down in hormone fueled tears and apologize to my husband for my being so very brain dead.
He, being the nice guy that he is, chalks it up to lack of sleep (and hormones) and forgives me.
April 17, 2009
Ears and Other Random Thoughts on Life
Baby Sister didn't pass her newborn hearing screenings, a fairly common thing especially for babies born via c-section. Wednesday this week, we took her to an audiologist at Children's Hospital to have her retested.
Although she still has fluid in her ears from birth, (also common) when the fluid was bypassed and her hearing tested behind it, it was found that she has a permanent hearing loss in her right ear. As of right now, it is being classified as a moderate-severe loss, but because of the fluid we are hoping that as it drains we will be able to reclassify it as a mild-moderate loss.
What does that mean for her?
Surprisingly not a lot right now. Many children with this type of loss are able to compensate for it on their own with no devices. As she gets older (i.e. school age) if we feel that she needs more help, she may be eligible for a hearing aid, or an FM System (although our Audiologist feels like she will probably not need these aids, which is encouraging).
There are support services through the hospital and Early Intervention that will teach her ways to cope with the loss, and help her stay on track developmentally. We also will be doing some testing to find out causes for the loss. Most likely though, it is genetic - my sister and her son also have the same kind of hearing loss.
For the next few months (okay probably more than a few) it will mean lots of Dr. appointments (yay for us!) and testing and evaluations to understand a little bit more of what we are dealing with. Just another adventure of life right? It would have been far too boring for us to graduate down to just going to the doctor for immunizations and check ups - I'm glad we are able to keep things spicy (insert semi-sarcastic smiley face here).
How are we coping?
I will admit that it caught me off guard initially. That is not what I expected to hear. Admittedly there was the understandable worry, concerns over her future, etc. but after the initial shock, and letting it all sink in...I am actually pretty okay with it. I've said it before, and will probably say it a lot more in the future, I am just glad that she is here and healthy. I still feel that way.
This might be a bump in the road, but it is one that I feel like she/we can handle with great confidence. There are outstanding resources available to us, and although I know there will be some tough things ahead, I am feeling really accepting about everything at this point.
My husband is an eternal optimist. From the beginning he says that he knows she is going to be fine. And she will be. We are grateful for the hearing she does have, which appears to be a lot.
Her left ear seems to have almost completely normal hearing, and there is still some hearing in her right ear. Although we don't know the severity of the loss due to the fluid, we know a range of where her hearing could be at right now. The top end of that possible range is, unfortunately, still outside of the realm of the sound of human voices, but hopefully not too far out.
--------------
Other than this newest development, things are still progressing quite nicely. Each day gets a little bit less crazy, and I know that someday soon she is going to figure out this "sleeping at night" thing. The boys are missing their Grandparents, and I am learning to accept the fact that my house probably won't be as clean and organized as I would like it to be for a while. It is a sad realization, but another one that I am coming to be more okay with. (Look at all the personal growth I am having here)
It looks like spring might be here soon, I'm very much looking forward to it. The weather keeps teasing us with a few nice days before it starts raining again. I guess I should just be grateful that we aren't in Utah. I've heard you all have been getting snow.
I'm starting to feel more human everyday too. I've decided that there is a certain irony to a postpartum woman. We are expected to be able to deal rationally with a newborn, and frequently with older children too, take care of household responsibilities, loose baby weight, sometimes return to jobs or other responsibilities, and a whole host of other things. As if this isn't enough, we get to be riddled with these unbelievable hormones that throw all rational anything out the window and make normal functioning that much more difficult. Go figure.
Anyway, I hope all of my readers out there are doing well too. It feels good to be typing again, even if my posts are few and far between (and are mostly pictures sometimes). We really are doing well, and are pretty happy to boot. Can't complain about that.
Although she still has fluid in her ears from birth, (also common) when the fluid was bypassed and her hearing tested behind it, it was found that she has a permanent hearing loss in her right ear. As of right now, it is being classified as a moderate-severe loss, but because of the fluid we are hoping that as it drains we will be able to reclassify it as a mild-moderate loss.
What does that mean for her?
Surprisingly not a lot right now. Many children with this type of loss are able to compensate for it on their own with no devices. As she gets older (i.e. school age) if we feel that she needs more help, she may be eligible for a hearing aid, or an FM System (although our Audiologist feels like she will probably not need these aids, which is encouraging).
There are support services through the hospital and Early Intervention that will teach her ways to cope with the loss, and help her stay on track developmentally. We also will be doing some testing to find out causes for the loss. Most likely though, it is genetic - my sister and her son also have the same kind of hearing loss.
For the next few months (okay probably more than a few) it will mean lots of Dr. appointments (yay for us!) and testing and evaluations to understand a little bit more of what we are dealing with. Just another adventure of life right? It would have been far too boring for us to graduate down to just going to the doctor for immunizations and check ups - I'm glad we are able to keep things spicy (insert semi-sarcastic smiley face here).
How are we coping?
I will admit that it caught me off guard initially. That is not what I expected to hear. Admittedly there was the understandable worry, concerns over her future, etc. but after the initial shock, and letting it all sink in...I am actually pretty okay with it. I've said it before, and will probably say it a lot more in the future, I am just glad that she is here and healthy. I still feel that way.
This might be a bump in the road, but it is one that I feel like she/we can handle with great confidence. There are outstanding resources available to us, and although I know there will be some tough things ahead, I am feeling really accepting about everything at this point.
My husband is an eternal optimist. From the beginning he says that he knows she is going to be fine. And she will be. We are grateful for the hearing she does have, which appears to be a lot.
Her left ear seems to have almost completely normal hearing, and there is still some hearing in her right ear. Although we don't know the severity of the loss due to the fluid, we know a range of where her hearing could be at right now. The top end of that possible range is, unfortunately, still outside of the realm of the sound of human voices, but hopefully not too far out.
--------------
Other than this newest development, things are still progressing quite nicely. Each day gets a little bit less crazy, and I know that someday soon she is going to figure out this "sleeping at night" thing. The boys are missing their Grandparents, and I am learning to accept the fact that my house probably won't be as clean and organized as I would like it to be for a while. It is a sad realization, but another one that I am coming to be more okay with. (Look at all the personal growth I am having here)
It looks like spring might be here soon, I'm very much looking forward to it. The weather keeps teasing us with a few nice days before it starts raining again. I guess I should just be grateful that we aren't in Utah. I've heard you all have been getting snow.
I'm starting to feel more human everyday too. I've decided that there is a certain irony to a postpartum woman. We are expected to be able to deal rationally with a newborn, and frequently with older children too, take care of household responsibilities, loose baby weight, sometimes return to jobs or other responsibilities, and a whole host of other things. As if this isn't enough, we get to be riddled with these unbelievable hormones that throw all rational anything out the window and make normal functioning that much more difficult. Go figure.
Anyway, I hope all of my readers out there are doing well too. It feels good to be typing again, even if my posts are few and far between (and are mostly pictures sometimes). We really are doing well, and are pretty happy to boot. Can't complain about that.
April 13, 2009
Baby Blessing
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. It was an extra special day for our family, because it was also Baby Sister's blessing day. She looked like a little angel in her huge dress (courtesy of my sister).
We are so blessed.
Fun With Grandma and Grandpa
We had both sets of grandparents here this week. The boys loved the extra attention, and I loved the extra help (and Sister loved that she almost never got put down). Here are a few of the weeks highlights, and some pictures of the boys (they've been a little neglected on here lately).
New 4-wheelers to "hab a race" with.
Playing at the play place at McDonald's.
Setting out to see tulips, but finding daffodils (and a big pile of bark) instead.
New Easter Clothes!
All in all a pretty fun week.
New 4-wheelers to "hab a race" with.
Playing at the play place at McDonald's.
Setting out to see tulips, but finding daffodils (and a big pile of bark) instead.
New Easter Clothes!
All in all a pretty fun week.
April 7, 2009
Who Do I Look Like?
We are still trying to figure out who Sister looks like...
Is it brother #1...
Or brother #2...
What do you think?
April 5, 2009
Happiness
Beefy and I sat and looked at our Friend magazine last night for about 30 minutes. He loved it, things were peaceful, and it made me feel better about life to be able to spend some time with just him. He needs more of that right now. It was lovely.
April 4, 2009
Any Ideas?
Baby Sister still has her days and nights very, very mixed up. Not that she isn't adorable when she is wide awake at 2:00 in the morning, but I am fastly approaching the "Bone Crushing" stage of tired, and will soon be unable to function normally. The only sleep I can get is while holding her and sitting in my recliner (okay, but not the best sleep ever).
I know it hasn't been that long since I had a newborn, but I am short on ideas that are working to help her sleep at night and not during the day. Not to mention, the fact that for some reason, I can lay her down during the day, but if I try it at night, she strongly protests. So I am asking for help. Please.
Everything I've read says that I can't expect her to be out of this stage until about 3 months old. Is that really true? She has teased me with a couple of good nights, and now I don't know how to re-create those circumstances. Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, if any of you out there have ideas, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!
I know it hasn't been that long since I had a newborn, but I am short on ideas that are working to help her sleep at night and not during the day. Not to mention, the fact that for some reason, I can lay her down during the day, but if I try it at night, she strongly protests. So I am asking for help. Please.
Everything I've read says that I can't expect her to be out of this stage until about 3 months old. Is that really true? She has teased me with a couple of good nights, and now I don't know how to re-create those circumstances. Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, if any of you out there have ideas, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!
April 2, 2009
Newborn Pics
I really hope that all of my "faithful readers" (ha ha) out there aren't too bored with baby pictures yet. The thing is, baby is pretty much all that has been happening around here lately, so baby is what you get right now. Plus, all of our family lives 1000 miles from us, and this is the only way to share with them. Anyway, moving on....
We are doing pretty OK here. I won't lie and say there have been no pitfalls, (there have been) or crying jags, (yep, had those too) or major tantrums (there've been a couple of doozies); but, overall, so far the good is still outweighing the bad.
The boys are adjusting well, they love their sister. Unfortunately, Beef's fondness for me right now is probably not so high on the list. I've had a couple of really good nights of sleep, and a couple of reasonable ones to go with the not so great ones. It's almost the weekend (hooray!), its conference weekend - one of my favorites. My husband will be home with us again (another weekend favorite), and both Grandma's are coming next week. We are pretty excited about that. The boys have got to go on a couple of play dates this week (a wonderful blessing for me) with their friends, and they are also pretty thrilled with my new more relaxed TV time policy. (I figure it won't kill them for the time being. I can be more strict again in a little while.) Overall, can't complain too much.
I'm still wishing that I had more to blog about right now, but I am keeping up the hope that as life gets back to normal, my blog will get back to normal as well.
On Monday, my favorite photographer took us in to the studio to get some newborn pics of Baby Sister. I haven't picked my very favorite yet, or the one that will go out with the birth announcement (if I ever get to that point), but here are a few of my current favorites.
More soon, hopefully...
We are doing pretty OK here. I won't lie and say there have been no pitfalls, (there have been) or crying jags, (yep, had those too) or major tantrums (there've been a couple of doozies); but, overall, so far the good is still outweighing the bad.
The boys are adjusting well, they love their sister. Unfortunately, Beef's fondness for me right now is probably not so high on the list. I've had a couple of really good nights of sleep, and a couple of reasonable ones to go with the not so great ones. It's almost the weekend (hooray!), its conference weekend - one of my favorites. My husband will be home with us again (another weekend favorite), and both Grandma's are coming next week. We are pretty excited about that. The boys have got to go on a couple of play dates this week (a wonderful blessing for me) with their friends, and they are also pretty thrilled with my new more relaxed TV time policy. (I figure it won't kill them for the time being. I can be more strict again in a little while.) Overall, can't complain too much.
I'm still wishing that I had more to blog about right now, but I am keeping up the hope that as life gets back to normal, my blog will get back to normal as well.
On Monday, my favorite photographer took us in to the studio to get some newborn pics of Baby Sister. I haven't picked my very favorite yet, or the one that will go out with the birth announcement (if I ever get to that point), but here are a few of my current favorites.
More soon, hopefully...
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