Can I just say that my tailbone hurts? Sheesh! I'm not really complaining as much as I am simply expressing my surprise at how these aches and pains are coming a lot sooner than I figured they would. Sorry, readers....my husband doesn't like to hear my little reports about how my hips ache, how I'm having trouble sleeping, or how my boobies feel like they've been squeezed in a vice....so you will be my sounding board. I understand why he doesn't want to hear it....after all, he can't really do anything to help and I'm sure listening to someone whine for 9 months is not fun. But to my credit, I haven't really whined that much. :)

On the flipside, I am REALLY enjoying being able to feel my baby moving around on a regular basis. It's so great. Sometimes I just sit with my hand on my tummy and wait for a thump. I usually get to feel one (or several) if I wait just a few seconds. It's truly amazing to know that there are little arms and legs flexing in there.....that there is a PERSON in my belly! The thought of having a baby in our lives becomes more and more real to me each day. There will SOON be a moment when I become someone's mom and DH becomes someone's dad!

I've been thinking about names again...
I can think of all kinds of little girl names, but I'm sort of stuck with boy names. I still like the name X@nder for a boy, but I think DH was having second thoughts about that one a while back so I don't know if it's in the running anymore. I told DH that I like the name H*nry, but he's not very fond of it. I also like Li@m and Ph1neas (Phin for short), but I haven't run those by him yet.

I still love Tallu1ah or R~by for a girl. Some new contenders are Marl0we, Sc0u+, W1lla, and Ell1ot. I think I might like Sc0ut more for a middle name than a first name.

Eh...we'll see....

Labels: baby names, pregnancy whining

Golly gee, I just can't make myself do anything today. I didn't have to babysit...which is good and bad. Good, because....well, (I'm just going to be totally honest even though it's probably already evident by some of my previous posts) I'm not all that crazy about babysitting. Bad, because my babysitting income was really helping out there for a while, when I was watching him 4 days a week and making an extra $15 every week for picking him up and bringing him to my house.

I went to bed last night with a headache and didn't sleep very well at all. Every time I woke up to switch positions, I realized that my bladder felt painfully full and my hips and back were aching.....not to mention, my headache was still there....dull, but there. Aching back and pelvis at 20 weeks???? I thought that kind of thing would come a little later....but I guess it shouldn't surprise me that a big lump of extra chub on my belly can throw things a little out of whack. The above pic is me yesterday, at 20w1d

I got up at 10:00 (I know, I know) and felt pretty decent. My Mother-in-law bought me a really nifty Black and Decker leaf blower/vac the other day and I was excited to get outside and conquer the sea of leaves that has become our yard. I was probably only out there for an hour before I gave up and came back inside to gulp down some water, clean up the kitchen, and eat some lunch. The thing I hate most about leaves is not necessarily raking them....it's bagging them. It's murder on a person's back. I need a compost bin or someplace to put the leaves because our po-dunk town doesn't have one of those cool trucks that come around in the Fall to suck up the piles of leaves that people blow out to the curb. That would be awesome. I attempted to blow some leaves into a pile, but they just flew all over because it's really windy today. I raked some into a pile and then sucked them into the bag attachment. I suppose it was handy enough, but emptying the bag into trashbags every 5 minutes got really tedious and frustrating. It condenses the leaves by shredding them up a little as they're sucked into the bag, so that's nice....but it would've been so much nicer if I would've had someplace to dump the leaves other than trashbags. I started dumping them into a pile in my side yard after a while, but with the wind and the storm that's supposed to come later, I doubt they'll stay there. By this time, my back was very sore, and the fact that all that work only yeilded a tiny corner of clean yard made me feel really discouraged. I decided that the blower/vac is definitely a handy tool....IF you use it for routine maintainence AS the leaves are falling through the fall months.....not AFTER they have all fallen and your yard is hopeless.

I would pay a professional lawn service a lot of money to come and take care of those leaves right about now. If I don't get them picked up before winter, they will stay there and get wet, compacted, and moldy....and then they'll be an even bigger mess in the spring. (I know, because that's what I had to deal with this past Spring) AND I DEFINITELY won't feel like cleaning up 20 bags worth of wet leaves this Spring with a newborn, so I don't know what else to do. DH wouldn't mind if we just left them there all year 'round to let them get nasty and out of control. I refuse to be so nonchalant about it because it's not a good idea to let piles of wet leaves lay around the foundation of our house...plus, it gives snakes a great place to hide (I know that from experience too), and makes mowing a billion times harder. Those huge trees out front are beautiful, but right now I wouldn't mind if someone came and chopped them down and paved my whole yard. :)

DH doesn't have the time to mess with the yard. Seriously. He hates yard work and I doubt that he would go out there and do anything even if he did have time....but right now, he is either at work, working on someone's computer, or doing website work for the church. He has very little free time, and I can't rightly expect him to get out there and clean up leaves with all he has on his plate.

Well, it is time for me to take a nap. I shouldn't be so tired, but man-o-man, I feel like I could sleep for 4 hours. (Yawn)

Labels: household chores, pregnancy whining

Here are some random scenes from around my house today.

My new haircut (after I've slept on it and haven't washed or combed it yet:)

A lawn gnome on my porch. I think a bird pooped on his face...

Bob and dog longing to go outside

Kitchen still needs cleaned up from last night's dinner. Bleh.

Stack of shoes in the living room.

The bathroom shelf.

Labels: hair, my house

I just saw a heartbreaking video on a recent post at Thingamababy. It was about the importance of using a 5-point car seat for as long as possible because a seatbelt, the only thing securing a booster seat, can come unlatched during an accident. 3 year old, Kyle David Miller died when his seat belt came unlatched during a roll-over and he and his booster seat were ejected from the vehicle. His life could've been saved if he had been riding in a seat with a LATCH system and a 5-point safety harness. As stated on his memorial site, Kyle was over 40 lbs. Most 5-point harness carseats sold in stores have a weight limit of 40 lbs, so Kyle's parents thought they had to move him up to a booster seat. Little did they know at the time, there is a seat made by Britax called the Regent that is a 5-point harness that uses the Lower Anchors and Tethers system and will hold a child up to 80 pounds. Now, Kyle's parents are passionate about informing parents about the lack of protection booster seats provide. They want to urge parents everywhere to keep their children in a 5-point harness for as long as possible so a tragedy like theirs does not have to happen to anyone else.

I can't imagine the pain this family has had to endure. I am thankful that they are spreading the word about using 5-point safety harnesses even on older children. I've been thinking a lot about car seats lately. I really do want to go with a Britax, even though they are quite pricey. Up until now, I thought it would be best to go for the Marathon model. The Marathon holds a child from 5lbs to 65lbs and can be rear-facing up to 33lbs. The Regent holds a child from 22lbs to 80lbs and is front-facing only. Honestly, I think it would be wonderful to have both. If we bought both of them, that would be $538!!!!! I know it seems like a lot, but when talking about the safety of our child, it would be totally worth it. Besides, with the reputation Britax has for quality, I know we'd be able to use both of these seats again if we decide to have another child.

The other option would be to use the (used) Evenflo Cozy Carry infant seat we already have first, and then go to the Regent. The Cozy Carry is a rear-facing car seat fits babies 5lbs-22lbs. The one we have was given to us by my sister, but she was not the original owner. It was donated to the pregnancy center where she volunteers, and they cannot accept child safety seats, for whatever reason. It looks like it is in great condition. It was made in March of 2002 and has a stamp on the back that says "Do not use after Dec 31, 2008", so it should be safe. On the other hand, I have no way of knowing if this seat has been in an accident or not AND, when I went to the Evenflo website, there is a headline that says "EVENFLO ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF SAFETY UPGRADE KIT FOR COZY CARRY® INFANT CAR SEAT BASES" and then goes on to say that even though the infant seat meets or exceeds all federal safety standards, recent crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lead Evenflo to believe that the performance of the detachable automobile base in certain types of collisions may be improved with a free upgrade. Apparently, you can call a 1-800 number to receive a free upgrade for the car seat base.



I'm kind of confused. I suppose I could call the number to see if I need the upgrade, or if my seat has already been upgraded....but part of me would just feel better if we started fresh with a BRAND NEW seat that I KNOW, without a doubt, has never been in an accident and has not had any safety recalls.

I don't want to be paranoid about getting into a car accident. I refuse to be fearful every time I place my child in a vehicle. I know that God's hand of protection is on me and my family and I trust that we will be taken care of. But I also believe in using the wisdom God gave us. It's sort of like, if I were to eat Twinkies and Big Macs on a regular basis throughout my entire life, KNOWING that they are bad for my health, it seems like it would be sort of silly to claim God's promises concerning healing when my body starts falling apart. Just like I wouldn't knowingly trash my body and then expect a miracle, I don't think it's wise to use an infant car seat that I'm uneasy about just because it was free and then also opt to get a cheap-o seat for when my child gets bigger....and proceed to tell myself "Oh, it doesn't matter, we'll never get into an accident."

Like Kyle's parents said on his memorial site, "Driving is by far the most dangerous situation you will ever put your child in and no matter how safe YOU are, you never know when someone will run a red light and leave you no time to react."

I would also like to get a safer vehicle, preferably one that has components that are compatible the LATCH car seat systems. According to CarSafety.org, virtually all vehicles manufactured in or after 2001 have the LATCH tether anchors. Of course, I really don't think we are in a financial position to buy a later model vehicle right now. Phooey.

Labels: baby gear

Thanks everyone, for all the great suggestions! I'm glad you mentioned the Isis because I have already put it on my Target registry. I figured since I will be home with the baby all the time, all I will need is a manual pump. It's good to know that they actually work.

One thing I've noticed about the stores where I registered is that they don't have ANY cool baby clothes. I'm not very big into pastels or Winnie the Pooh....so most of the things I registered for are very plain yellow, white, and some light green.

Apparently, unisex baby clothing only comes in yellow and green. Why can't there be little red, orange, teal, brown, black, or grey gender neutral outfits?

I guess one must visit grossly pricey online "boutiques" to find hip baby clothing. It's fun to look....but let's face it, I'm not going to pay $30 for a t-shirt that my kiddo will grow out of in a month. If money were no object....

The Faux Shirt Bodysuit in pumpkin from olliebollen.com

Soul Sista ringer from theretrobaby.com ....Okay, it's not really unisex, but I like it.

Boombox Tee from fooey.com

Blast Off Leather Booty Set from Jaminga

Trumpette "Johnny" Socks from PsychoBaby (I *heart* the shoe laces!)

Dirty Laundry "I Love You" Onsie and Hat from Black Wagon

The good thing about most of these items is I bet I could make knock-offs pretty easily. I think it would be pretty fun to go wild with some plain onesies and some good fabric paint! :)

Labels: baby gear, clothes

We went to see the midwife today. Everything looks good! I'm measuring right on schedule and we got to hear the heartbeat again, which was 144. Woohoo! We tried to hear it with the fetoscope first, but then we gave up and used the Doppler again. I think I'm addicted to hearing our little sprout's heart pumping. DH got a really clear recording of it this time, so as soon as he converts it to an mp3, I'll definitely be posting a link to it. I'm at 19w2d.

I have to admit, we are both becoming a little impatient about wanting to find out the sex of the baby. I really want to hold out, though. I guess it helps that we don't have an ultrasound scheduled or anything.....so our temptation is easily ignored, for now.

Hearing the baby's heartbeat is so amazing to me. I probably had the goofiest grin on my face.

Well, I have registered for a bunch of baby gear at Target, Wal-Mart, and Babies'R'Us. I was thinking that it's a little early, me only being 5 months pregnant and all, but my family baby shower is in January and I suppose that's not too far away. I'd love it if I could register at stores that sell cloth diapers and slings and more natural baby items....but I know my family, and they are not big on-line shoppers. I bet I probably don't need half of the stuff I put on my registries, but I I'll be able to take things back if I want to. It WILL be very handy to have things like Lasinoh, a breast pump (nothin' fancy), a carseat (I already have the infant one, so I registered for the next step up), a stroller, and some other random things. Any of you mommas wanna suggest things to add to my registry? I also picked a bunch of Onesies (although I don't know exactly how they fit with CD's), some sippy cups, socks, gender neutral sleepers, nipples for the bottles my sis gave me (if I ever have to pump and use them for any reason), baby wash/shampoo, hhhmmmm.....there's a bunch more, but I'd be here forever if I listed it all.

***Edit***
I felt the baby move from the outside for the first time today! (Wednesday) It was pretty amazing. I've been feeling little movements for a while now, but every time I put my hand where I felt the movement, the little bugger stops and then I wonder if it's just my imagination.

This morning at about 5:30, I got up to pee and when I laid back down, I could feel a lot going on down there. I put my hand right below my belly button and pressed down a little so I could feel the top of my uterus. Just a few seconds later, I felt a strong kick or punch. There's no blaming it on muscle twitches or gas when your hand feels a definite jab! Maybe 5 seconds later, I felt it again, but slightly to the right. I love it! Some days, it's easy to forget that there's a person riding around in my belly....I'm sure it'll get harder to forget as the little one starts keeping me awake with kicks to the ribs and punches to the bladder....but for now, I am eating up every little bump and thump. It feels like our baby is saying "Hi, Mommy!"

Ooh yes, and another little note about baby gear. I am torn as to which carseat to register for. I would REALLY like to have the Britax Marathon, but I feel a little guilty about putting a $269 item on our gift registry. Besides, maybe no one will get us a car seat if I'm asking for one that is so expensive. But I can't deny all the wonderful reviews. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Is there a carseat that you absolutely love and swear by? I particularly like the fact that it lasts from birth to a whopping 65 lbs....so, I guess I'd like a convertible carseat that is comparable. My other thought was that if no one gets us the Britax, we could buy it ourselves....and maybe use any money that is left over if we have to return things. I dunno.

Labels: baby gear, midwife, pregnancy milestones, prenatal appointment

I went to our county health department and got approved for the WIC Program today. I'm so excited about this! I loved getting my little vouchers, or "food instruments", as they call them. Is it weird that I'm so happy about getting government cheese? Hee hee :) As a pregnant woman with no children, I will receive these items monthly:

80 oz of dry milk (I opted for dry milk because of the connection my midwife sees between regular store-bought milk and GBS....I seem to remember her saying that powdered and canned milk should be safe in that area. The WIC officer said that their program does not give vouchers for soy, rice, or almond milk....yet. I've never had dry milk before, but I usually only use milk on my cereal, so maybe it won't be gross.)

72 oz of juice (half in pourable concentrate cans and half in frozen concentrate....all 100% juice)

2 lbs cheese (No pasteurized-processed cheese-food allowed: only REAL cheese.....which is what we buy anyway. Woohoo!)

2 doz eggs (I sure do go through a lot of eggs around here)

1 lb dry beans or peas (I *heart* beans)

30 oz cereal (must be on the WIC-approved list....but there are plenty of options. Mainly, any type of whole grain cereal that isn't super fancy and expensive)

After the baby comes and I am breastfeeding, I will get a lot more of the foods I listed, plus: tuna, carrots, and *I think* peanutbutter.

I was really impressed with how pro-breastfeeding the office was. The WIC officer that met with me asked how I planned to feed my baby and was very excited when I told her I plan to nurse. She also made sure I knew that it is the best for baby if I breastfeed for the bare minimum of a year. There were La Leche League posters all over the place and signs about the health department's monthly breastfeeding class. I particularly liked the sign that read, "Please feel free to breastfeed anywhere you like."

I suppose it makes sense that a government program that gives vouchers for baby formula would be avid proponents of breastfeeding....the more mothers who breastfeed, the less formula vouchers they have to give out. But still, it's nice to be in an environment that encourages breastfeeding.

On a different subject, I totally missed yesterday's episode of The Office! I'm so sad! Well, DH is currently downloading it for us to watch later, so I'm not COMPLETELY heartbroken. I openly admit that I am addicted to that show and my favorite day of the week is Thursday because of it. The long-running drama between Pam and Jim has me hooked....especially with this "Karen" girl from the Stamford branch moving in on Jim. Yikes. Of course, I love the show for the humor as well. Cracks. Me. Up.

Labels: finances, food

So, my little UTI seems better, but not COMPLETELY cleared up. I have already taken the full course of antibiotics that I was prescribed. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that last Thursday I eneded up breaking down and seeing a physician. The natural remedies seemed to be helping, but just when I thought things were clearing up, I'd have raging symptoms again. I was afraid of letting it get out of control. The doc gave me 3 days of an antibiotic called Macrobid and told me to keep chugging the fluids, yada, yada. She also said that if it didn't seem cleared up after that, to call back.

I called the doc's office @ 8:00 yesterday morning to let her know that it didn't seem completely cleared up and was wondering if she wanted to refill my antibiotic or put me on something different. Her nurse finally called me back at around 2:30, but I don't think she had really listened to my message because I had to explain everything to her again. Then, she said she'd get with the doctor and call me back. Grrrr.... I think it was a little after 4:00 when she called back to tell me that the doctor said I would need to come in as early in the morning as possible so they could collect a good concentrated urine sample and see where to go from there. (Last time, I had been drinking so many fluids, my urine was diluted and it was difficult to tell how bad the bacteria was)

The only problem with that was....my my 4th appointment with the midwife was scheduled for today @ 10:00 and I didn't think I could get to the doctor's office to pee in a cup when they opened and still make it on time to my midwife apointment (she's almost 2 hrs away). Then the nurse proceded to tell me that my midwife should be able to check my urine at her office and that I should just have it done there. I told her that I'm not sure if she has the facilities to do that.....and the nurse said "I would be seriously worried about her if she didn't." By this time, my head was spinning. I wanted to say, "Would somebody just PLEASE help me with this infection?????" ....but instead, I said, "Okay, I'll see if she can do that."

Oh yes, did I mention that I felt like the doctor had acted a little stand-off-ish when I told her that I am seeing a midwife and another doctor for my prenatal care? I wasn't going to say anything because I know that some docs can be a little strange about midwives....but she asked me, so I told her.

Meanwhile, I'm going a day and a half with a lingering infection and lapsed antibiotics. I'm no professional, but I'm pretty sure that it's bad to treat an infection half-way w/ antibiotics and then several days later, start treating it again. Seems like it would give the bacteria time to bounce back. But what do I know???

At that point I was really confused. I KNOW that my midwife doesn't have a LAB in her office. Sure, she can use the little dip-stick things to check my protein and whatnot, but I don't think she has the capabilities to check for bacterial infections......AND even if she did, she doesn't have a license to prescribe medication! I called my midwife to find out if I could come in a little later for my appointment so I could get my urine checked @ the doc's office first thing in the morning. She was perfectly fine with that. I tried to call the doc's office back to let the nurse know that I could come in to give a sample in the morning, but by this time it was 4:30 and the only choice I had was to leave the nurse a message. Of course, she didn't call back. The front desk told me to just come on in.

So.....this morning I go to the doc's office and explain things to the receptionist. I swear that she looked at me like I was speaking Chinese. She called the doc's nurse and told her I was there to give a urine sample, yada, yada. I could tell by the receptionist's reaction that the nurse acted confused. Suddenly, no one knew what was going on or what I was there for. I was not on the schedule and I could tell that I was stressing them out. I was asked to sit down and wait until the nurse could come out and talk to me.

Meanwhile, I'm getting nervous that I'm going to be even later for my appointment with the midwife than expected. AND I overheard the receptionist tell someone that their lab is CLOSED today. WHAT?????? I was seriously considering walking out. After a half hour, I went back up to the front desk and apologized for being a bother, but I was under the impression that I would just need to give a urine sample so the doc's nurse could determine what kind of antibiotic she needed to call in for me. (Keep in mind that at this point, I hadn't peed since 6:00 am and I was READY to give my specimen) She said the nurse would be out in a little while. I asked if I had heard correctly about the lab being closed and she said "yes". Bewildered, I sat back down. Just then, my midwife called and told me that she needed to cancel because of a family emergency. We rescheduled for next Tuesday. Not that I was happy about the family emergency, but it worked out well that I did not have to keep the appointment - it was looking like I might be at the doctor's office for a WHILE.

They finally call my name and a medical assistant (not the doc's personal nurse I talked to on the phone) proceeds to weigh me and take my vitals. I told her that I was confused. I didn't need to see the doctor....I was just there because I need a prescription refilled or new prescription written out and that the nurse had told me to come in and give some early moring urine so they can check it before I get anymore meds. I must have been speaking Chinese again. The confused girl takes me back to an exam room. The nurse that talked to me on the phone comes in and tells me to pee in a cup and the doctor would be in to see me in a little while. I told her that I'm sorry I'm confused, but I didn't know I was supposed to see the doctor again. She said it was necessary. She also seemed surprised that my midwife can't prescribe medicine. (Apparently, this nurse knows nothing about midwifery and the fact that midwives can't go around writing scripts for meds.....maybe Certified Nurse Midwives can, I dunno, but my midwife is a Licensed Midwife) When I mentioned what the front desk said about the lab being closed, she said that it is, but the doc could just test my urine herself. Doc looks at my urine then spends all of maybe 10 seconds in the room with me. She says that the infection looks like it's on its way out (what she said on Thursday!) and wrote me a different prescription. And she wasn't very friendly AT ALL. Bye-bye. That'll be ANOTHER $60, please.

So I have to pay for ANOTHER office visit because she did not prescribe a long enough course of antibiotics for me??? WHAT A CROCK. This round of antibiotics cost $50. Great. (We don't have insurance right now because the benefits at DH's new job do not kick in until January)

This infection had better CLEAR UP because I am not going back to a physician's office that is run by monkeys. In case you're wondering why I did not see my birth back-up doc for this problem, she is also almost 2 hours away. When I called THAT office when this infection first started, they advised me to see my primary care physician.....which would've been fine, if I had a competant one.

Alright. Now that's over with, wanna see pics of my 18 week belly?

Labels: health, pregnancy whining

My dear friend gave me a bag of baby clothes last night, which I thought was very thoughtful. She is due to have her first little one here in a couple months, but she had been given so many outfits she wanted to share the abundance with me.

What I found inside was really less than a blessing.

Now, please do not think I am snobbish when it comes to clothing. I am absolutely the opposite! I love hand-me-downs and shopping at thrift stores. Nothing feels better than a good broken-in t-shirt and an old pair of Levi's.

I am extremely happy to receive used baby clothing!......That is, IF it doesn't look as though a toddler barfed spaghetti sauce all over it while a piranha chewed on the collar. I mean seriously, people. Articles of clothing that are stained up and have holes in them SHOULD NOT be passed on to someone else. Throw them out or tear them up to use as dust cloths. Other people, no matter how needy, do not want your old rags.

Just so you don't think I am exaggerating about the condition of these clothes, here are some samples. The stains actually appear DARKER in real life. The camera doesn't give you the whole feel for just how raggedy they are....





To my friend's credit, she has no idea that she gave me a bag of clothes that are in bad condition. One of the ladies in her exercise class gave it to her, and she didn't go through it before she gave it to me. For all she knew, it could've contained really nice outfits, but she explained that she already has mountains of baby clothes and thought I might be able to use them instead. Again, SUPER THOUGHTFUL. I really am blessed to have such friends.

This is simply a rant picking on people who KNOWINGLY pass on virtually unwearble clothing to others, thinking they are doing some great deed. A few years ago, something similar happened to me....although in that case, it was a bag of clothing for me.....and I believe the person knew full well what kind of condition they were in. If a shirt didn't have a noticeable grease stain, it had a hole. Some of the pants and skirts had conspicuous stains as well as broken zippers, areas of almost threadbare wear, and missing snaps. While I really do appreciate getting free clothes (I mean, who doesn't???), I can't help but think that the folks who give away these items (that THEY THEMSELVES WOULD NOT WEAR) are just looking for a place to off-load the junk that is cluttering their closets or attics. They can fool themselves into thinking that they are helping someone out, but if they honestly thought about how they would feel if someone gave them a big bag of shoddy and worn-out clothing.....I bet they would just cut the clothes up to save for craft projects or use them as shop towels.

From now on, if I clean out my closet and decide to donate some items to the Goodwill or Salvation Army, I am going to make sure that none of the clothing is damaged or stained up. If I would be embarrassed to wear it in public because of the wear and tear, I am going to assume that no one else wants it. Why would they?

Labels: baby gear, clothes

I must be getting over my aversion to chicken, because when I was de-boning a chicken for some homemade chicken noodle soup today, I didn't want to gag! Don't get me wrong, I've been able to eat chicken in some forms....breaded or shredded and hidden in a dish....but just the thought of eating a hunk of chicken by iteself....especially if there are bones involved, has been making me ill.

Anyway...I'm really looking forward to that soup. Just waiting on the noodles to cook and I'm gonna get me a big bowl. Yum. Yum.

I think my UTI is getting better. I am still peeing constantly, but I'm pretty sure it's because I drink 40 oz of liquid every 3 seconds. I should seriously buy stock in bottled water.

Labels: food, health

Just got back to my house after picking up Bob. As I may have mentioned before, I get paid a little extra on the days I go to their house and pick him up. They are a 5 person family trying to make it on 1 vehicle, and sometimes their schedules don't work out to where they can get him over here.

Anyway, I just had to share this with someone....because if I share it with anyone in real life, it would be gossiping since most of my friends know this person:

As Bob's mom was buckling him into his carseat, she bit off a little piece of the HARD CANDY she was eating and gave it to him. I was thinking to myself, "Did I really just see that?? No....surely it was not hard candy." But then I glanced at her hand as she crinkled the wrapper and put it in her pocket. Yes, it was, in fact a little shard of hard candy....maybe a peppermint of some sort.

Please, moms, tell me that I have not become my mother (paranoid about the safety of my children to the point of total lunacy) and that I am normal for thinking it is unsafe to give a 16-month-old a piece of hard candy as he is about to ride off in the back seat of someone else's vehicle! Ummmm......excuse me, but in case you hadn't thought about it, I will be driving and not able to supervise your baby while he sucks on a little hunk of hard candy!!! What are you thinking? Sure, it was a little piece, but not negligibly small. I waited until she had walked back in the house and tried to take it away from him....and while I probably should have, I did not fight with him very long. I gave up and thought to myself, "If she thinks it's fine, then I'm not going to sweat it. It's her child."

But throughout our little 7 minute drive, I could hear him sucking on the piece of candy in the back seat. I had my visor mirror pointed at him and I found myself glancing up every 2 seconds to make sure he wasn't choking. At one point, he made a little coughing sound and I just about pulled over...but I looked back, and he seemed fine. He survived the ride, but I ended up wishing I just would've endured the tantrum that would have surely ensued by prying his jaws open and taking the candy away, rather than fearing he would choke to death while I was driving down the road.

Note to self: Bob's mom is NEVER going to babysit my child.

Labels: babysitting, general complaining, griping about people

This blasted UTI will not subside, so I called my midwife this morning to tell her that I am about to resort to going to our family clinic to get put on some antibiotics. She had me call my back-up doc for the pregnancy to see if she would call in some antibiotics for me. Her office said that she would not do that without an exam, and suggested that I go see my family doc if I have one. I would have gladly gone in to see my back-up doc instead because I like her and trust that she would put me on the safest possible meds, considering her views on natural low-intervention pregnancy....but she is almost 2 hours away. I really don't have one particualar doctor at our family practice that I feel comfortable with, and I doubt that they would be open and understanding to me choosing a midwife for prenatal care and birth. I know that there are probably certain antibiotics that doctors have deemed "safe" to use during pregnancy, but then I'm so skeptical when it comes to most doctors' knowledge (or lack thereof) of pregnancy.....I would wonder if they REALLY knew the true effects of the drug on the baby.

So, my midwife (who is also an herbalist) told me to pick up some cornsilk, couch grass, and echinacea. When I went to the natural foods store, I found that they did not have any couch grass, so my midwife said it would be fine to use horsetail instead.

Here is my remedy plan:
* 30 drops of echinacea 3-4 times daily
* brew cornsilk and horsetail into a tea and drink it 3-4 times daily
* add more citrus fruits to my diet and cut down on sweets
* drink TONS of water
* drink AT LEAST a few ounces of pure cranberry juice every hour
* take 1000 mg of vitamin C EVERY HOUR, at least for a couple days

Oh yes, and here is the worst part....I've been eating beef like crazy lately and she told me to cut it out! I already knew she wasn't crazy about her clients eating beef, but it just sounds so good to me. She told me that beef protein can do some strange things to the urine's pH balance so it should be totally avoided...at least for now, while I'm beating this infection. She suggested I pick up some rice protein powder to supplement my protein intake. So, my protein will be coming from beans, rice protein powder, eggs, small amounts of cheese, and nuts. Some chicken is okay with me, but it has to be "hidden" in something like soup or a burrito for it to look appealing to me.

I am also supposed to use a spray bottle w/ water and a teeny bit of salt to clean off the...ummm...affected area everytime I use the restroom. I hope all this effort (and money!) pays off and knocks the infection out.

Labels: health, midwife, pregnancy, pregnancy whining

Last night, I had a dream about having the baby...only it was in some strange hospital that I've never been to before and there were old people all over the place...lining the walls, sitting on the floor... the place was really busy and all these senior citizens were waiting for care. (Which didn't make a lick of sense, seeing as how it was the maternity ward!) I had to sit on the floor as well to wait my turn....and I was in labor, about to give birth!

The actual birth part of the dream was very hazy and I can remember thinking "Why are we here? My midwife is going to wonder why I didn't call her." When the baby was born (it was a boy), he was snatched up by one of the nurses and taken to the nursery before I even saw him. But I was weak and halfway dazed....like I was on drugs or something. When they brought him back to us, I was already up and around and we were about to leave the hospital. I tried to nurse him while we were walking down the hallway by sticking him up under my coat and hoping he would latch on correctly. All he did was cry, and I couldn't get him latched on right. When we were outside, I sat down on a bench and took my coat off. I tried to nurse him again. He latched on, but he looked up at me with sort of an evil smirk and bit me HARD! Not only did he bite, but he pulled while he was biting. I then realized that he had a mouth full of teeth and he looked like he was a year old!

We went back into the hospital and told them that we thought they may have given us the wrong baby. I can't remember how the dream ended, but I sort of recall that it was NOT our baby, and we did end up exchanging him for the correct one.

Sheesh! Maybe I'm subconsciously worried about establishing a good nursing relationship or something. I'm not sure what the rest of it could mean (if it even means anything at all)

Labels: dreams

Oh dear. What a strange couple of days I've had. Yesterday, I woke up with a little headache. It really just felt like dull sinus pressure at first, but then progressed into a full-blown migraine that caused me to barf all over the carpet my hallway. I think that's the first time I haven't been able to make it to the restroom to toss my cookies since being a child. Once I did make it to the bathroom, I was throwing up so violently, that most of it went BESIDE the toilet. Sheesh.

I almost didn't clean it up right away. After all, my head was spinning and light and sound was still making my head feel like a balloon ready to pop. But I had just drank a bunch of cranberry juice prior to getting sick. I figured if I just let it be, I'd regret it. So, I srubbed the carpet as best I could and *sort of* wiped down the bathroom. I did end up feeling a little better soon after, and was able to eat some soup and toast.

I don't know what triggered that little spell. The first time I ever had a migraine, about 3 years ago, it was caused by me trying to fast for the first time and not going about it very wisely. I think I've had about 3 since then. Some I knew were caused by not eating properly. Others were just mysteries. This one was certainly a mystery. I got plenty of good nutrition yesterday - multigrain waffles w/ peanutbutter & honey, high fiber/protein cereal w/ almond milk, an apple, a turkey and cheese sandwich, plenty of water and cranberry juice (yep, the UTI symptoms are still plaguing me), and a piece of string cheese. Then, I had organic split pea soup and wheat toast after getting sick. Maybe too much protein and total lack of veggies? I dunno. I didn't have to babysit yesterday, just by coincidence, thank God!

Since I slept ALL DAY yesterday, I was unable to fall asleep last night, so I ended up sleeping until 11am today....and I woke up with a headache!!!! I feel fine now. No headache. Hooray! Still having that cruddy UTI sensation after I pee sometimes. It's not nearly as painful as some I've had in the past, and most of the time, I feel like I have knocked it out....then evening comes and I can feel its effects more plainly. Strange.

Okay, just cuz this place needs some pictures, Here's a pic of my DH when he was an Atari joystick controller for Halloween a few years ago:

Labels: pregnancy, pregnancy whining

I am in the process of overcoming what I think may be a urinary tract infection. Ick. Apparently, pregnant ladies are especially prone to these infections because the ureters that lead from the kidneys to the bladder stretch out and get a little "wavy". The wavy ureters provide the perfect place for harmful bacteria to settle, and that's one reason it is so important to drink a ton of water and keep oneself adequately flushed out. It's amazing how the human body works. The ureters get elongated because everything in a pregnant woman's abdomen is getting stretchy and limber to make more room and also to prepare for birth. At least, that's what my midwife told me.

Here's a pic of how your ureters NORMALLY look:



Now imagine that the ureters are wound like old, loose spiral telephone cords. No, not really....but you get the idea.

So, I've been downing water like crazy and also drinking plain unsweetened 100% cranberry juice by the quart. If you've never tried PLAIN cranberry juice w/ no sweeteners or other juices added, whoa! It is SOUR! I'm actually beginning to like it, though. I called my midwife this morning to find out if she could recommend anything else, and she said to add a lot more vitamin C to my diet. So that's what I'll do. I don't want to resort to antibiotics so I just want to get rid of this junk NOW.

Bob has a very congested sounding cough and snot pouring out of his nose continuously. Of course, I feel bad for the little guy....but I'm also selfish and don't want his little mucous-y munchkin face anywhere near me. I know I'm not going to be grossed out by my own child's bodily fluids....so I'm not sure why other people's snotty kids bother me so much. He is currently running around the house making strange gurgling sound effects in addition to his normal cute jibber-jabber, all while blowing snot bubbles from his nose. Ughhh....yuk. It sends shivers down my spine. And then if I don't get to him with a warm wash cloth fast enough, he'll rub the snot all over his face with his hands and then touch everything in sight. The fact that he takes a nap in my bed everyday also....(gag!)....excuse me while I go burn my sheets.

Labels: babysitting, pregnancy whining